In March 2024, for example, Altman said in an interview with Lex Friedman that the company was preparing the launch of a major AI model that year (what likely became GPT-4o or “o1”), but the final name was still up in the air. “I think before we talk about a GPT-5-like model called that, or not called that, or a little bit worse or a little bit better than what you’d expect from a GPT-5,” Altman said to Friedman at the time, “I think we have a lot of other important things to release first.”
It would be tempting to say that OpenAI may feel a certain threshold of performance has been met to finally label one of its new AI models “GPT-5,” but the move apparently comes out of necessity. As mentioned above, GPT-5 will primarily be a branding move that will consolidate many features into one unified interface.
“We want to do a better job of sharing our intended roadmap, and a much better job simplifying our product offerings,” Altman wrote in a post on X. “We realize how complicated our model and product offerings have gotten.”
Currently, if a user logs in to ChatGPT with a Pro account, they can choose between an array of at least 10 AI models, including GPT-4o, GPT-4o with search, GPT-4o with deep research, GPT-4o with scheduled tasks, o1, o3-mini, o3-mini-high, o1 pro mode, GPT-4o mini, and GPT-4. There’s also advanced voice mode. There are two classes of AI models: what you might call “conventional” LLMs (like GPT-4o) and simulated reasoning models (like o1 and o3-mini).
“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 wrote.
