OpenAI cancels the launch of its o3 model and will replace it with 'GPT-5'.

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, announced through a post on X that the company’s o3 model will be sidelined in favor of a "simplified" GPT-5, which is set to launch in the coming months. In his message, he emphasized the intention to provide a clearer roadmap and simplify the product offerings. Altman expressed his desire for artificial intelligence to be intuitive and useful, acknowledging that the variety of models and products has complicated the user experience.

He stated that OpenAI has decided not to launch the o3 model as a standalone product, and instead, GPT-4.5 will be the last version that does not utilize a "thought circuit." Moreover, the upcoming GPT-5 will also not be completely independent; it will integrate various OpenAI technologies, including o3, which, according to an AI critic, could be described as a “king mouse of different mediocre products.”

Altman asserted that one of the main objectives is to unify the o series and GPT models, creating systems that can utilize all available tools and are versatile for performing various tasks. The new versions of the models will be integrated with features such as voice, canvas, search, and deep analysis.

Chat users will be guaranteed unlimited access to a “standard intelligence setting,” as long as they do not violate the abuse thresholds established on the platform, although Altman did not specify what those thresholds would be. As is customary with OpenAI products, a higher subscription level will allow users to enjoy more advanced access. Plus subscribers will be able to use GPT-5 at a “higher level of intelligence,” while Pro subscribers will have access to an “even higher level.”

This decision comes in a context where competition is intensifying, especially with the momentum that DeepSeek has gained over OpenAI, thanks to its R1 reasoning model, which offers performance comparable to o3 but at a considerably lower cost and energy consumption. Altman had previously promised to accelerate certain releases to better compete with this emerging Chinese startup, and this announcement, along with the recent launch of o3-mini as a base model for ChatGPT, falls within that strategy.