OpenAI Plans Imminent Release of o3, o4-mini Models and Prepares for GPT-5 Launch
After previously shelving plans to launch its o3 reasoning model for consumers earlier this year, OpenAI has now announced that not only will o3 be released, but it will also be joined by a new next-generation model, o4-mini, within the next few weeks as reported by TechCrunch.The update came directly from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who shared the news on social media platform X.
Altman said, “We are going to be able to make GPT-5 much better than we originally thought.”
He added, “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.”
GPT-5 Rollout Delayed But Promises Significant Improvements
While GPT-5 is now set to debut later than originally planned, Altman confirmed that OpenAI expects its release in just a few months.
So far, OpenAI has shared that GPT-5 will offer unlimited chat access at a default intelligence level, moderated by safeguards against misuse. ChatGPT Plus subscribers will get access to an advanced intelligence tier, while ChatGPT Pro users will be able to access an even more advanced version of GPT-5.
Altman emphasized that GPT-5 will feature an array of tools and capabilities, including voice integration, Canvas, search functionality, advanced research capabilities, and more. "A top goal for us is to unify our models by creating systems that can use all our tools, know when to think for a long time or not, and generally be useful for a very wide range of tasks.”
Also read: Amazon Launches Nova Act AI Agent and New Platform for Generative AI Exploration
Facing Growing Competition from Open Model Rivals
TechCrunch reports that OpenAI’s moves come amid mounting competition from rival AI labs such as China-based DeepSeek, which have adopted a more open approach.
These competitors are making their models publicly available for community testing and, in some cases, for commercial applications, offering an alternative to OpenAI’s more controlled release strategy.
In addition to the o3 and o4-mini models, OpenAI is also preparing to launch its first open-source language model since GPT-2. According to Altman, this upcoming open model will feature reasoning abilities and undergo thorough safety evaluations prior to release.
