ChatGPT, OpenAI’s text-generating AI chatbot, has taken the world by storm since its launch in November 2022. What started as a tool to supercharge productivity through writing essays and code with short text prompts has evolved into a behemoth with 300 million weekly active users.

2024 was a big year for OpenAI, from its partnership with Apple for its generative AI offering, Apple Intelligence, the release of GPT-4o with voice capabilities, and the highly-anticipated launch of its text-to-video model Sora.

OpenAI also faced its share of internal drama, including the notable exits of high-level execs like co-founder and longtime chief scientist Ilya Sutskever and CTO Mira Murati. OpenAI has also been hit with lawsuits from Alden Global Capital-owned newspapers alleging copyright infringement, as well as an injunction from Elon Musk to halt OpenAI’s transition to a for-profit.

In 2025, OpenAI is battling the perception that it’s ceding ground in the AI race to Chinese rivals like DeepSeek. The company has been trying to shore up its relationship with Washington as it simultaneously pursues an ambitious data center project, and as it reportedly lays the groundwork for one of the largest funding rounds in history.

Below, you’ll find a timeline of ChatGPT product updates and releases, starting with the latest, which we’ve been updating throughout the year. If you have any other questions, check out our ChatGPT FAQ here.

To see a list of 2024 updates, go here.

Timeline of the most recent ChatGPT updates

• October 2025
• September 2025
• August 2025
• July 2025
• June 2025
• May 2025
• April 2025
• March 2025
• February 2025
• January 2025
• ChatGPT FAQs

Techcrunch event

San Francisco | October 13-15, 2026

October 2025

ChatGPT handles over a million suicide-related conversations weekly

OpenAI revealed that a small but significant portion of ChatGPT users, more than a million weekly, discuss mental health struggles, including suicidal thoughts, psychosis, or mania, with the AI. The company says it has improved ChatGPT’s responses by consulting more than 170 mental health experts to handle such conversations more appropriately than earlier versions.

OpenAI reportedly working on AI that create music from text and audio

OpenAI is developing a new tool that generates music from text and audio prompts, potentially for enhancing videos or adding instrumentation, and is training it using annotated scores from Juilliard students, according to The Information. The launch date and whether it will be standalone or integrated with ChatGPT and Sora remain unclear.

ChatGPT gets smarter at organizing your work and school info

OpenAI’s new “company knowledge” update for ChatGPT lets Business, Enterprise, and Education users search workplace data across tools like Slack, Google Drive, and GitHub using GPT‑5, per a report by The Verge. The feature acts as a conversational search engine, providing more comprehensive and accurate answers by scouring multiple sources simultaneously.

OpenAI launches Atlas to make ChatGPT your main search tool

OpenAI has launched its AI browser, ChatGPT Atlas, starting on Mac, letting users get answers from ChatGPT instead of traditional search results. Unlike other AI browsers, Atlas is open to all users and will soon come to Windows, iOS, and Android, as OpenAI aims to make ChatGPT the go-to tool for browsing the web.

ChatGPT app growth slows, but still draws millions of daily users

A new Apptopia analysis suggests ChatGPT’s mobile app growth may be leveling off, with global download growth slowing since April. While daily installs remain in the millions, October is tracking an 8.1% month-over-month decline in new downloads.

Walmart shopping comes to ChatGPT

OpenAI is partnering with Walmart to allow users to browse products, plan meals, and make purchases through ChatGPT, with support for third-party sellers expected later this fall. The partnership is part of OpenAI’s broader effort to develop AI-driven e-commerce tools, including collaborations with Etsy and Shopify.

OpenAI brings ChatGPT Go plan to 16 more Asian countries

OpenAI is expanding its affordable ChatGPT Go plan, priced under $5, to 16 new countries across Asia, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Thailand, Vietnam, and Pakistan. In some of these countries, users can pay in local currencies, while in others, payments are required in USD, with final costs varying due to local taxes.

ChatGPT surpasses 800 million weekly active users

ChatGPT now has 800 million weekly active users, reflecting rapid growth across consumers, developers, enterprises, and governments, Sam Altman said. This milestone comes as OpenAI accelerates efforts to expand its AI infrastructure and secure more chips to support rising demand.

Developers can now build apps inside ChatGPT

OpenAI now allows developers to build interactive apps directly inside ChatGPT, with early partners like Booking.com, Expedia, Spotify, Figma, Coursera, Zillow, and Canva already onboard. The ChatGPT maker is also rolling out a preview of its Apps SDK, a developer toolkit for creating these chat-based experiences.

September 2025

ChatGPT rolls out parental controls following teen suicide case

OpenAI is reportedly adding parental controls to ChatGPT on web and mobile, letting parents and teens link accounts to enable safeguards like limiting sensitive content, setting quiet hours, and disabling features such as voice mode or image generation. The move comes amid growing regulatory scrutiny and a lawsuit over the chatbot’s alleged role in a teen’s suicide.

OpenAI introduces ChatGPT Pulse for personalized morning briefs

OpenAI unveiled Pulse, a new ChatGPT feature that delivers personalized morning briefings overnight, encouraging users to start their day with the app. The tool reflects a shift toward making ChatGPT more proactive and asynchronous, positioning it as a true assistant rather than just a chatbot. OpenAI’s new Applications CEO, Fidji Simo, called Pulse the first step toward bringing high-level personal support to everyone, starting with Pro users.

OpenAI moves into AI-Powered shopping, challenging tech giants

OpenAI launched Instant Checkout in ChatGPT, letting U.S. users purchase products directly from Etsy and, soon, over a million Shopify merchants without leaving the conversation. Shoppers can browse items, read reviews, and complete purchases with a single tap using Apple Pay, Google Pay, Stripe, or a credit card. The update marks a step toward reshaping online shopping by merging product discovery, recommendations, and payments in one place.

OpenAI brings budget-friendly ChatGPT Go to Indonesian users

OpenAI rolled out its budget-friendly ChatGPT Go plan in Indonesia for Rp 75,000 ($4.50) per month, following its initial launch in India. The mid-tier plan, which offers higher usage limits, image generation, file uploads, and better memory compared to the free version, enters the market in direct competition with Google’s new AI Plus plan in Indonesia.

OpenAI tightens ChatGPT rules for teens amid safety concerns

CEO Sam Altman announced new policies for under-18 users of ChatGPT, tightening safeguards around sensitive conversations. The company says it will block flirtatious exchanges with minors and add stronger protections around discussions of suicide, even escalating severe cases to parents or authorities. The move comes as OpenAI faces a wrongful death lawsuit tied to alleged chatbot interactions, underscoring rising concerns about the mental health risks of AI companions.

OpenAI rolls out GPT-5-Codex to power smarter AI coding

OpenAI rolled out GPT-5-Codex, a new version of its AI coding agent that can spend anywhere from a few seconds to seven hours tackling a task, depending on complexity. The company says this dynamic approach helps the model outperform GPT-5 on key coding benchmarks, including bug fixes and large-scale refactoring. The update comes as OpenAI looks to keep Codex competitive in a fast-growing market that now includes rivals like Claude Code, Cursor, and GitHub Copilot.

OpenAI reshuffles team behind ChatGPT’s personality

OpenAI is shaking up its Model Behavior team, the small but influential group that helps shape how its AI interacts with people. The roughly 14-person team is being folded into the larger Post Training group, now reporting to lead researcher Max Schwarzer. Meanwhile, founding leader Joanne Jang is spinning up a new unit called OAI Labs, focused on prototyping fresh ways for people to collaborate with AI.

August 2025

OpenAI to strengthen ChatGPT safeguards after teen suicide lawsuit

OpenAI, facing a lawsuit from the parents of a 16-year-old who died by suicide, said in its blog that it has implemented new safeguards for ChatGPT, including stronger detection of mental health risks and parental control features. The AI company said the updates aim to provide tighter protections around suicide-related conversations and give parents more oversight of their children’s use.

xAI claims Apple’s App Store practices give OpenAI an unfair advantage

Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI, filed a federal lawsuit in Texas against Apple and OpenAI, alleging that the two companies colluded to lock up key markets and shut out rivals.

OpenAI targets India with cheaper monthly ChatGPT subscription

OpenAI introduced its most affordable subscription plan, ChatGPT Go, in India, priced at 399 rupees per month (approximately $4.57). This move aims to expand OpenAI’s presence in its second-largest market, offering enhanced access to the latest GPT-5 model and additional features.

ChatGPT mobile app hits $2B in revenue, $2.91 earned per install

Since its May 2023 launch, ChatGPT’s mobile app has amassed $2 billion in global consumer spending, dwarfing competitors like Claude, Copilot, and Grok by roughly 30 times, according to Appfigures. This year alone, the app has generated $1.35 billion, a 673% increase from the same period in 2024, averaging nearly $193 million per month, or 53 times more than its nearest rival, Grok.

OpenAI keeps multiple GPT models despite GPT-5 launch

Despite unveiling GPT-5 as a “one-size-fits-all” AI, OpenAI is still offering several legacy AI options, including GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, and o3. Users can choose between new “Auto,” “Fast,” and “Thinking” modes for GPT-5, and paid subscribers regain access to legacy models like GPT-4o and GPT-4.1.

Updates to ChatGPT:

You can now choose between “Auto”, “Fast”, and “Thinking” for GPT-5. Most users will want Auto, but the additional control will be useful for some people.

Rate limits are now 3,000 messages/week with GPT-5 Thinking, and then extra capacity on GPT-5 Thinking…

— Sam Altman (@sama) August 13, 2025

Sam Altman addresses GPT-5 glitches and “chart crime” during Reddit AMA

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told Reddit users that GPT-5’s “dumber” behavior at launch was due to a router issue and promised fixes, double rate limits for Plus users, and transparency on which model is answering, while also shrugging off the infamous “chart crime” from the live presentation.

OpenAI unveils GPT-5, a smarter, task-ready ChatGPT

OpenAI released GPT-5, a next-gen AI that’s not just smarter but more useful — able to handle tasks like coding apps, managing calendars, and creating research briefs — while automatically figuring out the fastest or most thoughtful way to answer your questions.

OpenAI offers ChatGPT Enterprise to federal agencies for just $1

OpenAI is making a major push into federal government workflows, offering ChatGPT Enterprise to agencies for just $1 for the next year. The move comes after the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) added OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic to its approved AI vendor list, allowing agencies to access these tools through preset contracts without negotiating pricing.

OpenAI returns to open source with new AI models

OpenAI unveiled its first open source language models since GPT-2, introducing two new open-weight AI releases: gpt-oss-120b, a high-performance model capable of running on a single Nvidia GPU, and gpt-oss-20b, a lighter model optimized for laptop use. The move comes amid growing competition in the global AI market and a push for more open technology in the U.S. and abroad.

ChatGPT nears 700M weekly users, quadruples growth in a year

ChatGPT’s rapid growth is accelerating. OpenAI said the chatbot was on track to hit 700 million weekly active users in the first week of August, up from 500 million at the end of March. Nick Turley, OpenAI’s VP and head of the ChatGPT app, highlighted the app’s growth on X, noting it has quadrupled in size over the past year.

This week, ChatGPT is on track to reach 700M weekly active users — up from 500M at the end of March and 4× since last year. Every day, people and teams are learning, creating, and solving harder problems. Big week ahead. Grateful to the team for making ChatGPT more useful and…

— Nick Turley (@nickaturley) August 4, 2025

July 2025

ChatGPT now has study mode

OpenAI unveiled Study Mode, a new ChatGPT feature designed to promote critical thinking by prompting students to engage with material rather than simply receive answers. The tool is now rolling out to Free, Plus, Pro, and Team users, with availability for Edu subscribers expected in the coming weeks.

Altman warns that ChatGPT therapy isn’t confidential

ChatGPT users should be cautious when seeking emotional support from AI, as the AI industry lacks safeguards for sensitive conversations, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on a recent episode of This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von. Unlike human therapists, AI tools aren’t bound by doctor-patient confidentiality, he noted.

ChatGPT hits 2.5B prompts daily

ChatGPT now receives 2.5 billion prompts daily from users worldwide, including roughly 330 million from the U.S. That’s more than double the volume reported by CEO Sam Altman just eight months ago, highlighting the chatbot’s explosive growth.

OpenAI launches a general-purpose agent in ChatGPT

OpenAI has introduced ChatGPT Agent, which completes a wide variety of computer-based tasks on behalf of users and combines several capabilities like Operator and Deep Research, according to the company. OpenAI says the agent can automatically navigate a user’s calendar, draft editable presentations and slideshows, run code, shop online, and handle complex workflows from end to end, all within a secure virtual environment.

Study warns of major risks with AI therapy chatbots

Researchers at Stanford University have observed that therapy chatbots powered by large language models can sometimes stigmatize people with mental health conditions or respond in ways that are inappropriate or could be harmful. While chatbots are “being used as companions, confidants, and therapists,” the study found “significant risks.”

OpenAI delays releasing its open model again

CEO Sam Altman said that the company is delaying the release of its open model, which had already been postponed by a month earlier this summer. The ChatGPT maker, which initially planned to release the model around mid-July, has indefinitely postponed its launch to conduct additional safety testing.

we planned to launch our open-weight model next week.

we are delaying it; we need time to run additional safety tests and review high-risk areas. we are not yet sure how long it will take us.

while we trust the community will build great things with this model, once weights are…

— Sam Altman (@sama) July 12, 2025

OpenAI is reportedly releasing an AI browser in the coming weeks

OpenAI plans to release an AI-powered web browser to challenge Alphabet’s Google Chrome. It will keep some user interactions within ChatGPT, rather than directing people to external websites.

ChatGPT is testing a mysterious new feature called “study together”

Some ChatGPT users have noticed a new feature called “Study Together” appearing in their list of available tools. This is the chatbot’s approach to becoming a more effective educational tool, rather than simply providing answers to prompts. Some people also wonder whether there will be a feature that allows multiple users to join the chat, similar to a study group.

Referrals from ChatGPT to news sites are rising but not enough to offset search declines

Referrals from ChatGPT to news publishers are increasing. But this rise is insufficient to offset the decline in clicks as more users now obtain their news directly from AI or AI-powered search results, according to a report by digital market intelligence company Similarweb. Since Google launched its AI Overviews in May 2024, the percentage of news searches that don’t lead to clicks on news websites has increased from 56% to nearly 69% by May 2025.

June 2025

OpenAI uses Google’s AI chips to power its products

OpenAI has started using Google’s AI chips to power ChatGPT and other products, as reported by Reuters. The ChatGPT maker is one of the biggest buyers of Nvidia’s GPUs, using the AI chips to train models, and this is the first time that OpenAI is using non-Nvidia chips in an important way.

A new MIT study suggests that ChatGPT might be harming critical thinking skills

Researchers from MIT’s Media Lab monitored the brain activity of writers in 32 regions. They found that ChatGPT users showed minimal brain engagement and consistently fell short in neural, linguistic, and behavioral aspects. To conduct the test, the lab split 54 participants from the Boston area into three groups, each consisting of individuals ages 18 to 39. The participants were asked to write multiple SAT essays using tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the Google search engine, or without any tools.

ChatGPT was downloaded 30 million times last month

The ChatGPT app for iOS was downloaded 29.6 million times in the last 28 days, while TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X were downloaded a total of 32.9 million times during the same period, representing a difference of about 10.6%, according to ZDNET report citing Similarweb’s X post.

The energy needed for an average ChatGPT query can power a lightbulb for a couple of minutes

Sam Altman said that the average ChatGPT query uses about one-fifteenth of a teaspoon of water, equivalent to 0.000083 gallons of water, or the energy required to power a lightbulb for a few minutes, per Business Insider. In addition to that, the chatbot requires 0.34 watt-hours of electricity to operate.

OpenAI has launched o3-pro, an upgraded version of its o3 AI reasoning model

OpenAI has unveiled o3-pro, an enhanced version of its o3, a reasoning model that the chatGPT maker launched earlier this year. O3-pro is available for ChatGPT and Team users and in the API, while Enterprise and Edu users will get access in the third week of June.

OpenAI o3-pro is available in the model picker for Pro and Team users starting today, replacing OpenAI o1-pro.

Enterprise and Edu users will get access the week after.

As o3-pro uses the same underlying model as o3, full safety details can be found in the o3 system card.…

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) June 10, 2025

ChatGPT’s conversational voice mode has been upgraded

OpenAI upgraded ChatGPT’s conversational voice mood for all paid users across different markets and platforms. The startup has launched an update to Advanced Voice that enables users to converse with ChatGPT out loud in a more natural and fluid sound. The feature also helps users translate languages more easily, the comapny said.

ChatGPT has added new features like meeting recording and connectors for Google Drive, Box, and more

OpenAI’s ChatGPT now offers new funtions for business users, including integrations with various cloud services, meeting recordings, and MCP connection support for connecting to tools for in-depth research. The feature enables ChatGPT to retrieve information across users’ own services to answer their questions. For instance, an analyst could use the company’s slide deck and documents to develop an investment thesis.

May 2025

OpenAI CFO says hardware will drive ChatGPT’s growth

OpenAI plans to purchase Jony Ive’s devices startup io for $6.4 billion. Sarah Friar, CFO of OpenAI, thinks that the hardware will significantly enhance ChatGPT and broaden OpenAI’s reach to a larger audience in the future.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT unveils its AI coding agent, Codex

OpenAI has introduced its AI coding agent, Codex, powered by codex-1, a version of its o3 AI reasoning model designed for software engineering tasks. OpenAI says codex-1 generates more precise and “cleaner” code than o3. The coding agent may take anywhere from one to 30 minutes to complete tasks such as writing simple features, fixing bugs, answering questions about your codebase, and running tests.

Sam Altman aims to make ChatGPT more personalized by tracking every aspect of a person’s life

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, said during a recent AI event hosted by VC firm Sequoia that he wants ChatGPT to record and remember every detail of a person’s life when one attendee asked about how ChatGPT can become more personalized.

OpenAI releases its GPT-4.1 and GPT-4.1 mini AI models in ChatGPT

OpenAI said in a post on X that it has launched its GPT-4.1 and GPT4.1 mini AI models in ChagGPT.

By popular request, GPT-4.1 will be available directly in ChatGPT starting today.

GPT-4.1 is a specialized model that excels at coding tasks & instruction following. Because it’s faster, it’s a great alternative to OpenAI o3 & o4-mini for everyday coding needs.

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) May 14, 2025

OpenAI has launched a new feature for ChatGPT deep research to analyze code repositories on GitHub. The ChatGPT deep research feature is in beta and lets developers connect with GitHub to ask questions about codebases and engineering documents. The connector will soon be available for ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team users, with support for Enterprise and Education coming shortly, per an OpenAI spokesperson.

OpenAI launches a new data residency program in Asia

After introducing a data residency program in Europe in February, OpenAI has now launched a similar program in Asian countries including India, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. The new program will be accessible to users of ChatGPT Enterprise, ChatGPT Edu, and API. It will help organizations in Asia meet their local data sovereignty requirements when using OpenAI’s products.

OpenAI to introduce a program to grow AI infrastructure

OpenAI is unveiling a program called OpenAI for Countries, which aims to develop the necessary local infrastructure to serve international AI clients better. The AI startup will work with governments to assist with increasing data center capacity and customizing OpenAI’s products to meet specific language and local needs. OpenAI for Countries is part of efforts to support the company’s expansion of its AI data center Project Stargate to new locations outside the U.S., per Bloomberg.

OpenAI promises to make changes to prevent future ChatGPT sycophancy

OpenAI has announced its plan tomake changes to its procedures for updating the AI models that power ChatGPT, following an update that caused the platform to become overly sycophantic for many users.

April 2025

OpenAI clarifies the reason ChatGPT became overly flattering and agreeable

OpenAI has released a post on the recent sycophancy issues with the default AI model powering ChatGPT, GPT-4o, leading the company to revert an update to the model released last week. CEO Sam Altman acknowledged the issue on Sunday and confirmed two days later that the GPT-4o update was being rolled back. OpenAI is working on “additional fixes” to the model’s personality. Over the weekend, users on social media criticized the new model for making ChatGPT too validating and agreeable. It became a popular meme fast.

OpenAI is working to fix a “bug” that let minors engage in inappropriate conversations

An issue within OpenAI’s ChatGPT enabled the chatbot to create graphic erotic content for accounts registered by users under the age of 18, as demonstrated by TechCrunch’s testing, a fact later confirmed by OpenAI. “Protecting younger users is a top priority, and our Model Spec, which guides model behavior, clearly restricts sensitive content like erotica to narrow contexts such as scientific, historical, or news reporting,” a spokesperson told TechCrunch via email. “In this case, a bug allowed responses outside those guidelines, and we are actively deploying a fix to limit these generations.”

ChatGPT helps users by giving recommendations, showing images, and reviewing products for online shopping

OpenAI has added a few features to its ChatGPT search, its web search tool in ChatGPT, to give users an improved online shopping experience. The company says people can ask super-specific questions using natural language and receive customized results. The chatbot provides recommendations, images, and reviews of products in various categories such as fashion, beauty, home goods, and electronics.

OpenAI wants its AI model to access cloud models for assistance

OpenAI leaders have been talking about allowing the open model to link up with OpenAI’s cloud-hosted models to improve its ability to respond to intricate questions, two sources familiar with the situation told TechCrunch.

OpenAI aims to make its new “open” AI model the best on the market

OpenAI is preparing to launch an AI system that will be openly accessible, allowing users to download it for free without any API restrictions. Aidan Clark, OpenAI’s VP of research, is spearheading the development of the open model, which is in the very early stages, sources familiar with the situation told TechCrunch.

OpenAI’s GPT-4.1 may be less aligned than earlier models

OpenAI released a new AI model called GPT-4.1 in mid-April. However, multiple independent tests indicate that the model is less reliable than previous OpenAI releases. The company skipped that step — sending safety cards for GPT-4.1 — claiming in a statement to TechCrunch that “GPT-4.1 is not a frontier model, so there won’t be a separate system card released for it.”

OpenAI’s o3 AI model scored lower than expected on a benchmark

Questions have been raised regarding OpenAI’s transparency and procedures for testing models after a difference in benchmark outcomes was detected by first- and third-party benchmark results for the o3 AI model. OpenAI introduced o3 in December, stating that the model could solve approximately 25% of questions on FrontierMath, a difficult math problem set. Epoch AI, the research institute behind FrontierMath, discovered that o3 achieved a score of approximately 10%, which was significantly lower than OpenAI’s top-reported score.

OpenAI unveils Flex processing for cheaper, slower AI tasks

OpenAI has launched a new API feature called Flex processing that allows users to use AI models at a lower cost but with slower response times and occasional resource unavailability. Flex processing is available in beta on the o3 and o4-mini reasoning models for non-production tasks like model evaluations, data enrichment, and asynchronous workloads.

OpenAI’s latest AI models now have a safeguard against biorisks

OpenAI has rolled out a new system to monitor its AI reasoning models, o3 and o4 mini, for biological and chemical threats. The system is designed to prevent models from giving advice that could potentially lead to harmful attacks, as stated in OpenAI’s safety report.

OpenAI launches its latest reasoning models, o3 and o4-mini

OpenAI has released two new reasoning models, o3 and o4 mini, just two days after launching GPT-4.1. The company claims o3 is the most advanced reasoning model it has developed, while o4-mini is said to provide a balance of price, speed, and performance. The new models stand out from previous reasoning models because they can use ChatGPT features like web browsing, coding, and image processing and generation. But they hallucinate more than several of OpenAI’s previous models.

OpenAI has added a new section to ChatGPT to offer easier access to AI-generated images for all user tiers

Open AI introduced a new section called “library” to make it easier for users to create images on mobile and web platforms, per the company’s X post.

OpenAI could “adjust” its safeguards if rivals release “high-risk” AI

OpenAI said on Tuesday that it might revise its safety standards if “another frontier AI developer releases a high-risk system without comparable safeguards.” The move shows how commercial AI developers face more pressure to rapidly implement models due to the increased competition.

OpenAIis currently in the early stages of developing its own social media platform to compete with Elon Musk’s X and Mark Zuckerberg’s Instagram and Threads, according to The Verge. It is unclear whether OpenAI intends to launch the social network as a standalone application or incorporate it into ChatGPT.

OpenAI will remove its largest AI model, GPT-4.5, from the API, in July

OpenAI will discontinue its largest AI model, GPT-4.5, from its API even though it was just launched in late February. GPT-4.5 will be available in a research preview for paying customers. Developers can use GPT-4.5 through OpenAI’s API until July 14; then, they will need to switch to GPT-4.1, which was released on April 14.

OpenAI unveils GPT-4.1 AI models that focus on coding capabilities

OpenAI has launched three members of the GPT-4.1 model — GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and GPT-4.1 nano — with a specific focus on coding capabilities. It’s accessible via the OpenAI API but not ChatGPT. In the competition to develop advanced programming models, GPT-4.1 will rival AI models such asGoogle’s Gemini 2.5 Pro, Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 Sonnet, and DeepSeek’s upgraded V3.

OpenAI will discontinue ChatGPT’s GPT-4 at the end of April

OpenAI plans to sunset GPT-4, an AI model introduced more than two years ago, and replace it with GPT-4o, the current default model, per changelog. It will take effect on April 30. GPT-4 will remain available via OpenAI’s API.

OpenAI could release GPT-4.1 soon

OpenAI may launch several new AI models, including GPT-4.1, soon, The Verge reported, citing anonymous sources. GPT-4.1 would be an update of OpenAI’s GPT-4o, which was released last year. On the list of upcoming models are GPT-4.1 and smaller versions like GPT-4.1 mini and nano, per the report.

OpenAI has updated ChatGPT to use information from your previous conversations

OpenAI started updating ChatGPT to enable the chatbot to remember previous conversations with a user and customize its responses based on that context. This feature is rolling out to ChatGPT Pro and Plus users first, excluding those in the U.K., EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

OpenAI is working on watermarks for images made with ChatGPT

It looks like OpenAI is working on a watermarking feature for images generated using GPT-4o. AI researcher Tibor Blaho spotted a new “ImageGen” watermark feature in the new beta of ChatGPT’s Android app. Blaho also found mentions of other tools: “Structured Thoughts,” “Reasoning Recap,” “CoT Search Tool,” and “l1239dk1.”

OpenAI offers ChatGPT Plus for free to U.S., Canadian college students

OpenAI is offering its $20-per-month ChatGPT Plus subscription tier for free to all college students in the U.S. and Canada through the end of May. The offer will let millions of students use OpenAI’s premium service, which offers access to the company’s GPT-4o model, image generation, voice interaction, and research tools that are not available in the free version.

ChatGPT users have generated over 700M images so far

More than 130 million users have created over 700 million images since ChatGPT got the upgraded image generator on March 25, according to COO of OpenAI Brad Lightcap. The image generator was made available to all ChatGPT users on March 31, and went viral for being able to create Ghibli-style photos.

OpenAI’s o3 model could cost more to run than initial estimate

The Arc Prize Foundation, which develops the AI benchmark tool ARC-AGI, has updated the estimated computing costs for OpenAI’s o3 “reasoning” model managed by ARC-AGI. The organization originally estimated that the best-performing configuration of o3 it tested, o3 high, would cost approximately $3,000 to address a single problem. The Foundation now thinks the cost could be much higher, possibly around $30,000 per task.

OpenAI CEO says capacity issues will cause product delays

In a series of posts on X, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company’s new image-generation tool’s popularity may cause product releases to be delayed. “We are getting things under control, but you should expect new releases from OpenAI to be delayed, stuff to break, and for service to sometimes be slow as we deal with capacity challenges,” he wrote.

March 2025

OpenAI plans to release a new ‘open’ AI language model

OpeanAI intends to release its “first” open language model since GPT-2 “in the coming months.” The company plans to host developer events to gather feedback and eventually showcase prototypes of the model. The first developer event is to be held in San Francisco, with sessions to follow in Europe and Asia.

OpenAI removes ChatGPT’s restrictions on image generation

OpenAI made a notable change to its content moderation policies after the success of its new image generator in ChatGPT, which went viral for being able to create Studio Ghibli-style images. The company has updated its policies to allow ChatGPT to generate images of public figures, hateful symbols, and racial features when requested. OpenAI had previously declined such prompts due to the potential controversy or harm they may cause. However, the company has now “evolved” its approach, as stated in a blog post published by Joanne Jang, the lead for OpenAI’s model behavior.

OpenAI adopts Anthropic’s standard for linking AI models with data

OpenAI wants to incorporate Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP) into all of its products, including the ChatGPT desktop app. MCP, an open-source standard, helps AI models generate more accurate and suitable responses to specific queries, and lets developers create bidirectional links between data sources and AI applications like chatbots. The protocol is currently available in the Agents SDK, and support for the ChatGPT desktop app and Responses API will be coming soon, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said.

OpenAI’s viral Studio Ghibli-style images could raise AI copyright concerns

The latest update of the image generator on OpenAI’s ChatGPT has triggered a flood of AI-generated memes in the style of Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation studio behind blockbuster films like “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Spirited Away.” The burgeoning mass of Ghibli-esque images have [sparked concerns about](https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/26/openais-viral-studio-ghibli-moment-highlights-ai-copyright-co