OpenAI CEO warns of 'capacity crunch' ahead of GPT‑5 launch
What's the story
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has warned ChatGPT users about possible disruptions in service as the company gears up to launch a number of new models, products, and features. The warning comes as part of an announcement on X (formerly Twitter), where Altman asked for patience from users during this transition period. He said there could be "probable hiccups and capacity crunches" while they roll out these updates.
Upcoming launches
Altman assures users they will love the new features
In his post, Altman hinted at a wide range of upcoming launches, including new models, products, features, and more. He said, "We have a ton of stuff to launch over the next couple of months." The OpenAI CEO also assured users that despite any potential disruptions during this transition period, they would love what the company has created for them.
Model release
GPT-5 launch expected in early August
While Altman didn't specify which new models he was referring to, reports suggest that OpenAI plans to launch its state-of-the-art GPT-5 model sometime next week. The new model is said to be the first OpenAI model with unified reasoning capabilities. This means users won't have to pick a reasoning model from the picker for higher reasoning tasks anymore.
Model features
GPT-5 to combine capabilities of o and GPT series models
The upcoming GPT-5 model is said to be able to know when to think for a long time or not. It will combine the capabilities of the o series and GPT series models, making it useful for a wide range of tasks. In a recent podcast with The Verge, Altman teased the new capabilities of GPT-5 by sharing how it helped him answer a difficult email he couldn't understand initially.
Model testing
Altman's podcast reveal about GPT-5's capabilities
Altman said he was testing the new model when he received a question he didn't quite understand. He put it in the model and got a perfect answer from GPT-5, which left him stunned. "I felt like useless relative to the AI in this thing that I felt like I should have been able to do and I couldn't and it was really hard, but the AI just did it like that," he added.