OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has acknowledged that ChatGPT has become too complicated and is outlining plans to simplify the user experience. In a recent update on X, he confirmed that GPT-5 will include the o3 reasoning model and will be accessible to free users, marking a significant shift in OpenAI's approach to AI accessibility.
Currently, users must manually select models within ChatGPT, which has led to a cluttered and sometimes frustrating experience, especially for those subscribed to Plus or Pro plans. Altman stated that OpenAI wants AI to "just work" and is working toward a seamless, unified intelligence system that eliminates the need for manual model selection.
Additionally, GPT-4.5 will be the last model without "chain-of-thought" reasoning, a feature that improves AI decision-making by breaking down complex problems into smaller steps. Future models, including GPT-5, will integrate this advanced reasoning capability while also unifying OpenAI's o-series and GPT-series models into a more streamlined system.
Although no official release dates have been provided, GPT-4.5 and GPT-5 are expected in the coming weeks or months. OpenAI plans to offer free users unlimited access to GPT-5 at a standard intelligence level, while subscribers and Pro users will gain access to more powerful versions with expanded capabilities.