OpenAI’s last major Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) release, GPT-4, launched in March 2023, and since then, ChatGPT users have been eagerly awaiting the next big upgrade. Although OpenAI introduced GPT-4o, an iteration of GPT-4 with enhanced text, vision, and audio capabilities earlier this year, there has been no sign of a significant new model release. However, Sam Altman has now provided an official update on the future of GPT-5 during a recent AMA session on Reddit.
When asked about the release date and features of GPT-5, Altman responded, “we have some very good releases coming later this year! nothing that we are going to call gpt-5, though.”
Altman’s response indicates that while GPT-5 itself may not be on OpenAI’s immediate roadmap, users could expect a new model release by the end of this year.
Replying to another question about why GPT-5 is taking this long to deliver, Altman said, “All of these models have gotten quite complex and we can’t ship as many things in parallel as we’d like to. (we also face a lot of limitations and hard decisions about we allocated our compute towards many great ideas.)”
OpenAI takes on Google with ChatGPT Search:
Meanwhile, OpenAI on Friday announced a new search functionality in ChatGPT, taking it toe to toe with Microsoft’s Bing and Google search. The new search feature is powered by the GPT-4o model and is a more evolved version of the SearchGPT prototype unveiled by the company earlier this year.
The ChatGPT search feature is triggered by default based on what the user is searching for. There is also an option to manually activate the search functionality by clicking on the new web search icon, located just adjacent to the attachment icon.
A Reddit user also asked Altman what advantages SearchGPT offers over Google to which the OpenAI CEO replied, “for many queries, i find it to be a way faster/easier way to get the information i’m looking for. i think we’ll see this especially for queries that require more complex research. i also look forward to a future where a search query can dynamically render a custom web page in response!”
