OpenAI Revises Release Strategy: o3 and o4-mini to Precede GPT-5

OpenAI Switch-Up: We're Actually Getting ChatGPT o3 Soon

Katelyn is a writer with CNET covering social media, AI and online services. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in media and journalism. You can often find her with a novel and an iced coffee during her time off. OpenAI surprised folks this week when CEO Sam Altman announced on X/Twitter that the company is switching up its planned release schedule. The next ChatGPT model we can expect to see is o3 and o4-mini, coming soon in the next few weeks. But that means that GPT-5, the next major overhaul we expect for ChatGPT, is being pushed back to later this year. The news is a reversal of a February announcement that OpenAI was integrating o3 and other technology in the upcoming ChatGPT-5 model, meaning that o3 would no longer have its own release. In the meantime, you can use ChatGPT o3-mini. It's a smaller variant of o3, and we can take some clues from that model about what we can expect in o3. The o3-mini model is a reasoning model, meaning it "thinks" about prompts before responding and is better at solving complex problems. Free and paid ChatGPT users can try out o3-mini, which is also seen as a competitor to DeepSeek, the open-source AI that made a huge splash earlier this year. We don't know too much about o4-mini -- it's not the same as 4o-mini -- but it should be the next generation beyond o3. There are a number of other updates sure to keep people busy during the wait. We're also expecting the company to release its first open-weights model. OpenAI isn't very transparent about what goes on in the creation and training process of its models (despite its name), so the release of that model will be a big step as well. The open-weights, o3 and o4-mini models are the company's attempts to remain competitive amid tough competition, including Chinese AIs like DeepSeek. ChatGPT also got a native image generator, which was so popular that it temporarily overwhelmed the service's GPUs. Quickly, a trend of creating AI images mimicking the style of Studio Ghibli (the studio behind famous films such as Spirited Away and Ponyo) took off. Altman even changed his X/Twitter profile picture to a Studio Ghibli-esque version of himself. However, the founder of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki, is notoriously against generative AI.

ChatGPT-5 is on hold as OpenAI changes plans and releases new o3 and o4-mini models

The news broke today in a tweet by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, in which he revealed why the plans were changing: "There are a bunch of reasons for this", wrote Altman, "but the most exciting one is that we are going to be able to make GPT-5 much better than we originally thought. "We also found it harder than we thought it was going to be to smoothly integrate everything, and we want to make sure we have enough capacity to support what we expect to be unprecedented demand." The mention of 'capacity to support unprecedented demand' is clearly a reference to the recent outages that ChatGPT has been experiencing as millions of new users signed up to try out the new image generation abilities of ChatGPT-4o. ChatGPT-5 is the next big evolution of the popular ChatGPT LLM and will be a major development in the future of AI. Its simpler name was also supposed to represent an alignment shift in OpenAI's somewhat confusing product-naming conventions that will now soon feature both an o4 and an 4o model in the line-up simultaneously. Rather than the user having to decide if they wanted to use a smaller, lighter model, such as 4o-mini or a deeper reasoning model, like o4, for their tasks, ChatGPT-5 will decide for you which type of model to use, based on your query. So far, OpenAI has confirmed that even users on the free tier will have some access to ChatGPT-5 when it comes out, but users on the Pro and Plus tiers will get more. The only word on a release date we've been given before was "soon". Now it looks like we'll have to wait a little bit longer for that integration of everything into one model, with Altman stating that ChatGPT-5 would now appear "in a few months". Commenting on the new o3 model, Altman also stated that, "We were able to really improve on what we previewed for o3 in many ways; I think people will be happy..." Replying to a user on X who asked if there would also be an o3 Pro model, Altman gave a one-word reply - "coming!" - which would seem to confirm that a pro version of o3 is also in the works. As to when we will see the o3 and o4-mini models, Altman stated, "in a couple of weeks, and then do GPT-5 in a few months".

OpenAI adjusts AI roadmap for better GPT-5

OpenAI is reconfiguring its rollout plan for upcoming AI models. The company's CEO, Sam Altman shared on social media on Friday that it will delay the launch of its GPT-5 large language model (LLM) in favor of some lighter reasoning models to release first. The brand will now launch new o3 and o4-mini reasoning models in the coming weeks as an alternative to the GPT-5 launch fans were expecting. In this time, OpenAI will be smoothing out some issues in developing the LLM before a final rollout. The company hasn't detailed a specific timeline, just indicating that GPT-5 should be available in the coming months. Recommended Videos "There are a bunch of reasons for this, but the most exciting one is that we are going to be able to make GPT-5 much better than we originally thought," Altman said in an X post. "We also found it harder than we thought it was going to be to smoothly integrate everything, and we want to make sure we have enough capacity to support what we expect to be unprecedented demand," he added. Prior reports suggested that GPT-5 might have been prepared for release in the May timeframe; however, several unforeseen developments have popped up since then. TechRadar noted that OpenAI is likely having to tackle the tons of new users its ChatGPT services has recently acquired. Its user base recently jumped from 400 million to 500 million in a matter of hours, after a design trend prompted by its latest GPT-4o image generation update went viral. While the GPT-5 update has been long anticipated, the incremental updates are expected to help set up the introduction of the major rollout. The publication noted that once the o3 and o4-mini models are available, OpenAI will have products called o4 and 4o within the ChatGPT ecosystem. By the time the GPT-5 rolls out, it will have the capability to select the best model for your task.

OpenAI Plans O3 and O4-Mini Release Before GPT-5, Altman Says - Decrypt

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed a significant shift in the company's release plans on Friday, announcing that two intermediate models will arrive before its highly anticipated GPT-5. "Change of plans: We are going to release o3 and o4-mini after all, probably in a couple of weeks, and then do GPT-5 in a few months," Altman wrote on X Friday. The surprise announcement comes as OpenAI grapples with technical complexities in its flagship model development. Altman admitted the company "found it harder than we thought it was going to be to smoothly integrate everything" into GPT-5, suggesting the staggered release will help ensure sufficient capacity "to support what we expect to be unprecedented demand." The move places OpenAI in an increasingly crowded field of AI heavyweights rolling out advanced models. Google recently launched Gemini 2.5 Pro, which boasts 1 million tokens of context and has been widely regarded as the best reasoning and coding model available -- and is free to use. Meanwhile, DeepSeek R2, Grok-3, and Claude 3.7 Sonnet with extended thinking capabilities are all slated for imminent release -- each undercutting OpenAI's reasoning model on price. Altman teased a silver lining: releasing the intermediate models will give OpenAI more time to supercharge GPT-5. "The most exciting [reason] is that we are going to be able to make GPT-5 much better than we originally thought," he wrote. GPT-5 is expected to be fully multimodal, merging all of OpenAI's specialized models into a single system. That would eliminate the current need for ChatGPT to switch between reasoning models, standard language models, and image generation models based on the prompt. Instead, all these functions would be handled by a unified model. Technical specifications for o3 and o4-Mini remain under wraps, but they're expected to bridge the capabilities gap between GPT-4 and the forthcoming GPT-5, which industry watchers believe will feature substantial improvements in reasoning, planning, and memory functions. OpenAI's latest release, the reasoning-focused o1 Pro, came with eyebrow-raising pricing: $150 per million tokens (~750,000 words) for input, and $600 per million tokens generated. That's double the input cost of GPT-4.5 and 10 times the price of regular o1. And for reference, DeepSeek R1 costs less than $1 per million tokens. The revised roadmap arrives just days after OpenAI closed a historic $40 billion funding round -- the largest single fundraising event by any private tech company.

OpenAI Shifts Course, Says GPT-5 Coming in 'a Few Months'

Currently, OpenAI has two primary lines of models: GPT models and O models. The GPTs are traditional large language models, like GPT-4o or GPT-4.5, while the Os are reasoning models, meaning they can think through (to the extent that an AI is actually thinking) how to solve a problem in multiple steps. In February, Altman posted on X that the two lines would be combined into a single line of powerful AI models, starting with GPT-5. At the time, Altman wrote that the company's newest O model, o3, would not be released as a standalone product and would instead be integrated into GPT-5. But now, Altman has reversed course. He said that OpenAI will release o3 in "a couple of weeks," and will also release o4-mini, a new more affordable reasoning model, in a similar timeframe.

OpenAI GPT-5 delay confirmed, but new models are coming soon - Phandroid

The OpenAI GPT-5 delay is official. Sam Altman just broke the news, and if you've been waiting since GPT-4o, yeah, it stings a little. GPT-5 won't be landing anytime soon, but there's still plenty to look forward to. Altman explained the delay was due to "a bunch" of reasons. OpenAI's been having trouble integrating the new model, and they're bracing for what he calls "unprecedented demand." Right now, OpenAI is already feeling the heat. Ever since they upgraded ChatGPT with image generation, the servers have been slammed. People love visual tools, and the latest update made them faster, sharper, and way more reliable. It's no surprise that it's causing a traffic spike. Then there's ChatGPT's new Deep Research tool. This is a game-changer for anyone using AI to dig for info. Deep Research lets you tackle complex topics with better sources and longer answers. Think of it as ChatGPT with a research assistant baked in. OpenAI is clearly building momentum, even if GPT-5 isn't ready yet. And it's not like we're left empty-handed while we wait. OpenAI is rolling out two new models: o3 and o4-mini. These are focused on reasoning and should bring a noticeable step up in performance. Altman teased that they'll land in just a few weeks, giving us something to chew on before the big one drops. So yes, the OpenAI GPT-5 delay is a bit of a bummer. But with smarter tools and fresh models on the way, the hype isn't slowing down anytime soon.

OpenAI to release o3, o4-mini ahead of GPT-5 launch later this year

The shift in the company's AI model release schedule is an attempt to maintain its competitive edge as it faces growing competition in the open-source space from Meta and Chinese rival DeepSeek.OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced a shift in the company's artificial intelligence (AI) model release schedule, revealing that intermediate models known as 'o3' and 'o4-mini' will be launched in the coming weeks, ahead of the much-anticipated GPT-5 rollout scheduled for later this year. In a tweet on Thursday, Altman cited several reasons for the change, including unexpected technical challenges and a desire to better prepare for what he described as "unprecedented demand" for GPT-5. He also hinted that the new model would surpass initial expectations, stating, "The most exciting reason is that we are going to be able to make the GPT-5 much better than we originally thought." The comment came after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Wednesday hinted at enhancements to ChatGPT's recently launched image-generation tool, which has seen a significant surge in recent days. ChatGPT has crossed 130 million users, generating over 700 million images since March 27. The move is an attempt to maintain its competitive edge as it faces growing competition in the open-source space from Meta and Chinese rival DeepSeek. The Chinese low-cost model, DeepSeek, was developed in two months, with an investment of less than $6 million. This starkly contrasts the $100 million OpenAI reportedly spent on training its GPT-4 model. DeepSeek's R1 model offers developers, researchers, and organisations seeking AI solutions $0.55 per million input tokens and $2.19 per million output tokens. For comparison, OpenAI charges $15 per million input tokens and $60 per output token, ET reported in January.

Sam Altman Backtracks On o3 Cancellation, Plans To Release Model In Anticipation Of GPT-5: 'People Will Be Happy'

Feel unsure about the market's next move? Copy trade alerts from Matt Maley -- a Wall Street veteran who consistently finds profits in volatile markets. Claim your 7-day free trial now. OpenAI, led by CEO Sam Altman, has spent the past two years in fierce competition with rivals Google Gemini, Anthropic, DeepSeek and Elon Musk's xAI. Altman announced Friday that the San Francisco-based company's model release schedule will undergo an important change. What Happened: OpenAI had intended to shelve its o3 and o4 models earlier this year, planning to integrate them into the company's upcoming GPT-5. At the time, Altman said he wanted to simplify OpenAI's model offerings. On Friday, Altman announced that the company was reversing course, anticipating the release of o3 and o4 in a "couple of weeks" before rolling out the long-awaited GPT-5 in 2025. "we were able to really improve on what we previewed for o3 in many ways; i think people will be happy...," Altman said in a reply. The entrepreneur believes GPT-5 will be "much better" than originally thought, but the company will need additional capacity to support user demand. Why it Matters: OpenAI has repeatedly pushed back the release of GPT-5. While the company's flagship ChatGPT is the most popular AI model in the world, competitors have rapidly improved their offerings. Anthropic, a Jeff Bezos-backed AI startup, one-upped OpenAI in some areas in its update of Claude in February. DeepSeek, a Chinese company, released its R1 model in January. Also Read: JPMorgan Raises Recession Risk To 60% As 'Largest US Tax Hike' In 60 Years Hits Global Economy Photo: Shutterstock Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

OpenAI Delays GPT-5 But Sam Altman Says o3 and o4-mini Models are Coming Soon

In addition, OpenAI will also release the o3-pro model which takes more time to think to solve harder problems. In February this year, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared the roadmap for GPT-5 release. He revealed that the powerful o3 reasoning model will not be available as a standalone model, instead, it will be integrated into GPT-5. Now, Altman says that o3 and the next-gen o4-mini reasoning models are coming "in a couple of weeks", and GPT-5 will be released "in a few months." On Friday, Altman tweeted on X, "change of plans: we are going to release o3 and o4-mini after all, probably in a couple of weeks, and then do GPT-5 in a few months." Additionally, OpenAI will be releasing an o3-pro model, just like o1-pro, that uses more time to solve harder problems. Altman has explained the reasons behind the GPT-5 delay. He says that integrating a lot of tools into GPT-5 including the o3 model is "harder than we thought." In addition, GPT-5 is going to be improved in the meantime and OpenAI is building the infrastructure and capacity to serve the GPT-5 model when it's released in a few months. In earlier statements, Altman has said that GPT-5 will be available to free ChatGPT users as well. Given that Studio Ghibli-style images blew up on ChatGPT, it's good that OpenAI is focusing on building capacity. Apart from that, the early release of o3 may have to do with Google's flagship Gemini 2.5 Pro model which has positioned itself as the leading AI model in the industry, dethroning all competing models. OpenAI may want to launch its impressive o3 model to take the lead against Google and Anthropic.