OpenAI rolls out 'PhD-level' GPT-5 to all of its users

Platform is similar to 'having a team of experts on call', says company

OpenAI is battling to keep ahead of a growing number of rivals, including disruptive players from China such as DeepSeek. Bloomberg

OpenAI has released the latest version of its ChatGPT artificial intelligence platform, GPT-5, promising to deliver “PhD-level” intelligence as it continues to fend off ever-growing competition in technology's latest battleground.

GPT-5 is its “smartest, fastest and most useful model yet, with thinking built in”, California-based OpenAI said on Thursday.

It is “smarter across the board, providing more useful responses across maths, science, finance, law and more,” it added, “like having a team of experts on call for whatever you want to know”.

In particular, OpenAI said, GPT-5 is adept at providing coding, writing and health answers, while being safer and more accurate.

“GPT-5 is the smartest model we've ever done, but the main thing we pushed for is for real-world utility and mass accessibility/affordability,” OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said in a post on X.

The service will be available to all ChatGPT users, including those using it for free. A fifth of paying users – who will also have access to GPT-5 Pro and higher usage limits – are now able to access the service, Mr Altman said on X.

“We can release much, much smarter models, and we will, but this is something a billion+ people will benefit from,” he added.

The release of GPT-5 comes amid OpenAI's efforts to solidify its leadership in generative AI, whose popularity it kick-started two years ago with the release of the original ChatGPT.

That sparked a new technology arms race as companies tapped into the potential of AI, which is now being used in several major industries and key aspects of society.

OpenAI has had to deal with several rivals, including tech majors Microsoft, Google, Facebook parent Meta Platforms and Elon Musk's xAI, upstarts such as Anthropic and Perplexity, and disruptive players DeepSeek and Qwen from China.

OpenAI, however, has sought to maintain its edge by boosting its offerings for free users, businesses and developers, banking on its substantial resources and expertise in generative AI.

However, in the lead-up to GPT-5's release, concerns over generative AI's problems have persisted, including misinformation and bias.

Mr Altman recently admitted that the thought of generative AI being used to help develop bioweapons in the future is causing him to lose sleep, and he is scared of voice ID fraudsters using AI to dupe people.

However, OpenAI's confidence in GPT-5 is high and the company said it continues to raise its safety bars. There have been no substantial reports of the platform going rogue hours after its launch.

“Our understanding of how to advance safety has evolved a lot over time … we are not certain everything we believe is correct,” OpenAI said.

“We do know AI will transform most aspects of our world, and so we should think through the benefits, changes and risks of this technology early.”

How does it compare to its rivals?

The National asked the new GPT-5's free version: "What should you do when you have difficulty breathing?". The platform started off by recommending a call to emergency services if it is life-threatening or taking certain measures if it isn't, including step-by-step procedures. It then recommends having an emergency plan ready if there is a known condition.

By comparison, Microsoft's Copilot starts off similarly, then makes recommendations on when to see a doctor and lists the possible causes of breathing difficulties.

On the other hand, DeepSeek began by asking to perform immediate actions, before recommending calling emergency services and listing preventive measures. All three results are similar on details such as symptoms and emergency measures.

The next request was to "write a haiku on the hotter weather due to global warming". A haiku is a form of Japanese poetry consisting of three lines whose syllables are five, seven and five, respectively.

The answers were as expected, and while GPT-5 and Copilot almost instantly responded, DeepSeek took a few more seconds to do so.

Meanwhile, Mr Altman also said that India is now OpenAI's second-biggest market and that they are working with authorities of South Asia's largest economy to make AI more affordable.

At a media briefing, he hinted that India might surpass the US as OpenAI's biggest market, local media reported. Mr Altman plans to visit the country next month.

"It's incredibly fast-growing ... what citizens of India are doing with AI is quite remarkable," he added.