In the ever-evolving world of artificial intelligence, OpenAI is once again raising the stakes with GPT-4.5. It’ll be unveiled as the company’s “last non-chain-of-thought model” – a language model that aims to simplify the complexities of previous ones.
This bit of information came directly from OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, who shared it on X (fka Twitter). With the aim of explaining the OpenAI Roadmap Update for GPT-4.5 and GPT-5, he first acknowledges that the company’s models and product offerings have become increasingly complex, and this new release aims to make them return to “magic unified intelligence.”
GPT (aka Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a type of AI model designed to understand and generate human-like text. From GPT-3 to GPT-4, each version has brought significant improvements in language understanding and creative output.
OpenAI had released o3 and o3 mini models in December 2024, but Altman now says it won’t be a “standalone model” anymore. Instead, “We will (next) ship GPT-4.5 as our last non-chain-of-thought model,” he says. He also adds that they will “release GPT-5 as a system that integrates a lot of their technology, including o3.”
GPT-4.5, codenamed Orion, is projected to improve based on GPT-4 capabilities. It is designed to clear away the extra layers of complexity seen in previous models. By getting rid of its chain-of-thought approach, there’d be a more straightforward and efficient experience for users without compromising on performance.
Now, GPT-5 aims to integrate OpenAI’s technologies towards achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). “A top goal for us is to unify o-series models and GPT-series 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,” Altman says. GPT-5 is going to do exactly that by being a system that integrates a lot of ChatGPT and OpenAI API technologies.
In addition to their technological advancements, OpenAI is set to introduce a tiered access model for GPT-5. Free-tier users get unlimited chats at a “standard intelligence level,” while Plus subscribers enjoy smarter responses. Pro subscribers will then have the highest access to the highest level of intelligence, through GPT-5.
It is crucial to note that a few days before he tweeted about the OpenAI roadmap, Altman in a blog post titled “Three Observations” emphasized on the importance of Artificial General Intelligence. In a bid to not over-explain what it means or confuse people due to the relationship OpenAI has with Microsoft, he explains that AGI is a benefit to humanity, and OpenAI’s mission is to see to that. In his words, AGI is “a system that can tackle increasingly complex problems, at human level, in many fields.”
When Altman was asked the estimated time of arrival for GPT-4.5 and GPT-5, he replied with “weeks/months,” respectively.
However, The Verge reports that Microsoft engineers are preparing to host GPT-4.5’s servers as early as next week, while GPT-5 is expected to be available by May 2025.
