GPT-5 August release planned by OpenAI, unifying two AI model series

OpenAI is preparing to launch GPT-5 as early as August, according to sources familiar with the company’s plans reported by The Verge. The new model represents a significant advancement by combining the reasoning capabilities of the o-series models with the general language abilities of traditional GPT models, creating what CEO Sam Altman describes as the company’s “most capable AI model” to date.

What you should know: GPT-5 will unify OpenAI’s previously separate model lines into a single, more powerful system.

• The model combines a conventional large language model (LLM) with a simulated reasoning (SR) model, integrating breakthrough reasoning capabilities from the o-series with multi-modal features from the GPT-series.
• OpenAI plans to offer “mini” and “nano” versions through its API, with the main version available through both ChatGPT and the API.
• References to “gpt-5-reasoning-alpha-2025-07-13” have been spotted on X, with code showing “reasoning_effort: high” in the model configuration, suggesting the model has entered final testing phases.

The big picture: This launch represents OpenAI’s attempt to simplify its increasingly complex product lineup while delivering more advanced capabilities.

• Microsoft engineers began preparing server capacity for GPT-5 as early as late May, though testing and development challenges pushed the timeline back from earlier projections.
• GPT-5 has been highly anticipated since GPT-4’s launch in March 2023, with rumors of its development circulating since March 2024.

What they’re saying: Altman demonstrated the model’s impressive capabilities during a recent podcast appearance.

• “I put it in the model, this is GPT-5, and it answered it perfectly,” Altman said after having GPT-5 answer a question he couldn’t solve himself, adding that it gave him a “weird feeling” to see the AI surpass his own knowledge.
• “We’re truly excited to not just make a net new great frontier model, we’re also going to unify our two series,” said Romain Huet, OpenAI’s Head of Developer Experience. “The breakthrough of reasoning in the O-series and the breakthroughs in multi-modality in the GPT-series will be unified, and that will be GPT-5.”

Key capabilities: According to The Information, GPT-5 is expected to deliver significant improvements across multiple areas.

• The model will be better at coding and more powerful overall, combining attributes of both traditional models and reasoning-focused models like o3.
• It incorporates the advanced reasoning capabilities that made the o-series models distinctive while maintaining the versatility of general-purpose GPT models.

What’s coming next: Before GPT-5’s release, OpenAI plans to launch its first open-weights model since GPT-2 in 2019.

• The open model will be “similar to o3 mini” with reasoning capabilities, allowing others with proper hardware to download and run the AI model on their own machines.
• However, Altman announced on July 11 that the open model needs additional safety testing, saying “We are not yet sure how long it will take us.”