OpenAI Rolls Out ChatGPT-5 for Free to All Users, Claims It’s ‘Smarter’ Than Before
OpenAI has officially launched ChatGPT-5, the latest version of its widely used AI chatbot, and it is available free to all users. The company says the new model offers major improvements in intelligence and capabilities compared to earlier versions.
The announcement was made on Thursday during a media briefing. OpenAI revealed that ChatGPT is now used by nearly 700 million people every week. With the release of ChatGPT-5, the company hopes to set a new benchmark in the fast-growing field of artificial intelligence.
Smarter and More Capable
OpenAI’s co-founder and CEO Sam Altman described ChatGPT-5 as “a significant step” toward creating truly capable AI systems. He called the model “generally intelligent” and said it performs far better than previous versions.
Altman compared the progress across generations of ChatGPT.
- GPT-3 felt like talking to a high school student, he said.
- GPT-4 was more like speaking with a college graduate.
- GPT-5, according to him, feels like talking to a PhD-level expert in any subject.
However, Altman made it clear that ChatGPT-5 is not yet artificial general intelligence (AGI) — the kind of AI that can think and learn like a human. The model still does not learn continuously from new information after deployment.
Stronger in Coding, Writing, and More
One of the standout abilities of ChatGPT-5 is its skill in “vibe coding” — creating software programs on demand. During the launch, OpenAI demonstrated the AI building a French language learning app in seconds.
The company says the model is now stronger in several areas, including:
- Computer coding
- Content writing
- Healthcare applications
- General problem-solving
OpenAI believes this upgrade puts it ahead of rivals like Google and Microsoft, both of which are investing heavily in AI development.
Focus on Safety and Honesty
OpenAI has also worked on making ChatGPT-5 more trustworthy and safe. According to Alex Beutel, who leads safety research at the company, the model was trained to avoid giving harmful advice and to provide honest answers.
The AI was tested for its ability to avoid deception and generate “safe completions.” This means it sticks to high-level information that cannot be used to cause harm.
Wider AI Push
The release of ChatGPT-5 is part of OpenAI’s broader AI strategy. Just a day earlier, the company announced a partnership with the U.S. General Services Administration. Under the deal, federal employees in the executive branch will get ChatGPT Enterprise for one year for just $1.
OpenAI also recently released two new open-weight AI models gpt-oss-120b and gpt-oss-20b. These models can be downloaded for free and modified by users. This move is seen as a challenge to both U.S. and Chinese AI competitors.
