SAN FRANCISCO — OpenAI has officially launched ChatGPT-5, its most advanced artificial intelligence model yet, and it’s available free for all users worldwide. Backed by Microsoft, the latest version is being hailed for smarter, faster, and more accurate responses, with millions already using it every week.
OpenAI’s co-founder and CEO Sam Altman described ChatGPT-5 as “clearly a model that is generally intelligent,” saying it now feels like “talking to a real expert.” While it hasn’t reached Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) — the point where AI can think like humans — Altman believes it’s a major step closer.
The release comes as Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Elon Musk’s xAI pour billions into AI research, racing to dominate the industry. Earlier this year, Chinese startup DeepSeek shook the market with a high-performance AI model built using affordable chips, intensifying the competition.
Altman claims ChatGPT-5 outperforms rivals in coding, writing, healthcare, and more. “GPT-3 was like talking to a high school student, GPT-4 a university student. GPT-5 feels like a PhD-level expert on any topic,” he said. One standout feature is “vibe-coding” — the ability to build software through natural conversation.
British AI expert Simon Willison, who tested the model early, wrote: “It doesn’t feel like a dramatic leap forward, but it rarely messes up — and often impresses.” Meanwhile, Musk argued on X (formerly Twitter) that his Grok 4 Heavy model is “smarter” than ChatGPT-5.
Safety and transparency remain at the core of this release. OpenAI’s safety research lead Alex Beutel said the model is trained to avoid harmful or deceptive outputs, producing only “safe completions” while refusing sensitive or dangerous requests.
Alongside ChatGPT-5, OpenAI also released two open-weight AI models for developers to download and customise — a move seen as a direct challenge to competitors while answering calls for greater transparency.
With nearly 700 million weekly users, ChatGPT-5 marks what Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg calls the “beginning of a new era for humanity.” The AI race is far from over — but for now, OpenAI has set the bar higher than ever.
