OpenAI Delays GPT-5

"It’s Harder Than We Thought" – Sam Altman Unpacks the Shift

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took to X (formerly Twitter) this week to deliver a significant update: the long-anticipated GPT-5 launch has been delayed by several months. The reason? Developing the next-gen AI turned out to be a lot harder than expected — but also a lot more promising.

"Change of plans: we are going to release o3 and o4-mini after all... and then do GPT-5 in a few months."
– Sam Altman, April 4, 2025

Why the Delay?

Altman cited three core reasons behind the decision to hit pause on GPT-5’s rollout:

1. Integration Complexity: Building a single model that seamlessly merges a range of new features and modalities is proving technically daunting.

2. Infrastructure Scaling: As OpenAI eyes global deployment, it's working to ensure its systems can handle unprecedented demand without breaking a sweat.

3. Bigger Vision for GPT-5: Internal testing showed that GPT-5 could far exceed initial performance benchmarks—but only if given more development time.

Rather than release an unfinished version, OpenAI is choosing to raise the ceiling on what GPT-5 can do.

Meet the “O-Series”: o3 and o4-mini

Instead of shelving progress, OpenAI is spinning off internal components of GPT-5 into standalone models. The o3 and o4-mini models are now slated to launch within weeks, serving as high-performance, cost-efficient, and scalable stepping stones.

The o3 model in particular is raising eyebrows — insiders say it benchmarks at the level of a top-tier software engineer. That’s not just hype; it's a peek into how rapidly these models are improving.

These “O-Series” models will feature:

• Multimodal capabilities

• Scalable architecture

• Cheaper inference costs

Essentially, OpenAI is modularizing innovation — shipping what’s ready now, while perfecting the big picture.

Deep Research Coming to Free Users

In more good news, OpenAI is planning to open up its powerful “Deep Research” tool to all ChatGPT users, not just Plus, Teams, or Enterprise subscribers. Isa Fulford, a Technical Staff member at OpenAI, confirmed the expansion is in testing and will roll out “very soon.” A firm launch date is still TBD.

This is a big move toward democratizing access to advanced research tools—especially for students, independent creators, and startups.

Legal Storm Clouds

But it’s not all smooth sailing. In a major legal setback, a federal judge denied OpenAI’s motion to dismiss The New York Times’ contributory infringement case. The court called OpenAI’s defense a “straw man” and pointed to compelling evidence that models like GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 may have memorized and reproduced copyrighted content.

A recent study added fuel to the fire, suggesting OpenAI’s models may have ingested copyrighted books and articles during training. While OpenAI insists it operates within “fair use” guidelines, this ruling definitely strengthens the NYT’s hand in the ongoing case.

OpenAI’s Business Moves: An AI Device on the Horizon?

On the corporate front, The Information reports that OpenAI held internal talks about acquiring the AI hardware startup co-founded by Jony Ive (the legendary Apple designer) and Sam Altman himself. Details remain under wraps, but this could signal OpenAI’s ambition to move into AI-native hardware—perhaps a consumer device to interface directly with its future models?

Final Thoughts

OpenAI's decision to delay GPT-5 isn't a sign of trouble—it’s a sign of ambition. By breaking off the o3 and o4-mini models for early release, the company is accelerating access to bleeding-edge AI without compromising on the flagship product’s potential.

If GPT-5 ends up being as groundbreaking as Altman hints, the wait might just be worth it.

Stay tuned.