Key Points
- OpenAI’s next-generation model, GPT-5, is expected to be released very soon.
- Early testers say it’s impressive, but the improvement over GPT-4 is not as large as the previous generational leap.
- OpenAI has hit a “data wall,” indicating a shortage of new internet data for training.
- OpenAI is using a new technique called “test-time compute” to boost GPT-5’s problem-solving abilities.
OpenAI’s highly anticipated GPT-5 is expected to be released any day now. Still, early testers suggest it might not be the game-changing leap many were hoping for. Two people who have tested the new model told Reuters they were impressed with its skills in coding and solving math problems.
However, they noted that the improvement from GPT-4 to GPT-5 isn’t as significant as the substantial leap from GPT-3 to GPT-4.
The company is running into the limits of its old strategy. Previously, OpenAI made its models smarter simply by feeding them more data and using more computing power. But now, they’ve hit a “data wall”—they’ve already trained their models on most of the internet, leaving little new human-generated text to use. Training these massive models is also extremely difficult and prone to hardware failures.
This comes after GPT-4 stunned the world in 2023 with its massive intelligence boost over its predecessor. The upgrade was so significant that it set a new benchmark for AI. Since then, however, competitors like Google, Anthropic, and Meta have released their powerful models, closing the gap with OpenAI. The industry is now watching closely to see if GPT-5 can put OpenAI far ahead once again.
To overcome these challenges, OpenAI is trying a new approach. Instead of just making the model bigger, they’re also using a technique called “test-time compute,” which dedicates more processing power to solve particularly hard problems as they arise.
Many in the tech world hope this new power will allow AI to move beyond just chatting and start performing complex, autonomous tasks on its own.
