OpenAI launches ChatGPT-5 model for all users: What are the big upgrades from GPT-4?

The all-new GPT-5 has arrived.

OpenAI launched its much-anticipated new version of the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, GPT-5, on Thursday.

The company has made GPT-5 available to all users, including the free users.

In its announcement, OpenAI said the model is smarter, faster and “a lot more useful”, particularly for areas such as writing, coding and health care.

“I tried going back to GPT-4, and it was quite miserable,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told reporters during a briefing.

So, what are the new features in this version? And how is ChatGPT-5 different from earlier models?

Here’s what you need to know:

OpenAI launches GPT-5: Key features and other details

GPT-5 has been released more than two years after GPT-4, which came out in March 2023.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called the new model a “significant step along our path to AGI”, but placed most of his focus on how useful it will be for the 700 million people he says use ChatGPT each week.

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“It’s like talking to an expert — a legitimate PhD-level expert in anything, any area you need, on demand,” he said.

The latest version of ChatGPT brings a wide range of improvements, especially in reasoning, safety, and the way it responds to questions.

So, what’s new compared to ChatGPT-4?

Vibe coding

GPT-5 introduces “vibe coding”, a feature that allows users to create software with AI by simply typing a short prompt.

During a demonstration, OpenAI asked the model to build a web app to help English speakers learn French. The app needed to have an engaging theme, include flash cards and quizzes, and allow users to track their progress regularly.

The company ran the same request in two separate GPT-5 sessions, and the model quickly generated two different apps in seconds, CNBC reported.

While an OpenAI lead admitted the apps had “some rough edges,” users can easily customise them by changing the background, adding new tabs, or making other adjustments as needed.

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Lower hallucination rate

OpenAI says GPT-5 produces fewer incorrect or made-up answers compared to earlier versions.

The company explained that it carried out extensive safety checks while building the model, including 5,000 hours of testing.

Safe completions

Earlier GPT versions would often refuse to respond if a question was considered risky. GPT-5 now uses “safe completions”, meaning it can still give a general or high-level answer within safety limits that cannot be misused.

Michelle Pokrass, a post-training lead at OpenAI, told CNBC, “GPT-5 has been trained to recognise when a task can’t be finished, avoid speculation and can explain limitations more clearly, which reduces unsupported claims compared to prior models.”

More advanced reasoning

A key upgrade in GPT-5 is its improved reasoning ability.

OpenAI says the model is trained to think through a problem before replying, using internal chains of thought to give more accurate and context-aware responses.

The company has also introduced “test-time compute”, a method that lets the AI spend extra computing time thinking about a question. This helps it tackle more complex tasks, such as solving advanced maths problems or making difficult decisions.

GPT-5 also works as a router. When a user asks a particularly challenging question, it can activate test-time compute to deliver a better answer.

‘PhD-level expert’

Altman says GPT-5 is “significantly better” than previous versions.

“GPT-3 sort of felt to me like talking to a high school student… 4 felt like you’re kind of talking to a college student,” he said.

“GPT-5 is the first time that it really feels like talking to an expert in any topic, like a PhD-level expert.”

How to access ChatGPT 5?

You can use ChatGPT-5 through the usual platforms, including the ChatGPT website from OpenAI or the ChatGPT app on Android and iOS.

Simply sign in with your existing account to try GPT-5 for free, though there are some usage limits.

Subscribers to ChatGPT Plus and Premium plans get higher limits and access to additional features.

GPT-5 is available in three versions: GPT-5, GPT-5 mini and GPT-5 nano. Each is designed to suit different needs, costs and device performance levels.