GPT-5 Goes Gratis
OpenAI has officially released its most advanced version, ChatGPT-5, free of charge to users worldwide, following earlier plans to replace the prior reasoning model, O3. The new model includes voice chat, a canvas feature, search, deep-research capabilities and numerous other functions.
AFP reported the news on Friday, August 8, saying that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman unveiled ChatGPT-5 on Thursday, August 7.
OpenAI said the ChatGPT-5 AI tool will be made available to users at no cost. The company said roughly 700 million people use ChatGPT each week. OpenAI will provide unrestricted chat access at ChatGPT-5’s standard intelligence settings, although certain limits will be imposed to prevent misuse. ChatGPT Plus subscribers will be able to access GPT-5’s higher-intelligence capabilities. Altman said the aim is to make the system simple and usable by stripping away unnecessary complexity.
Describing the new model, Altman said, “It gives the experience of talking to a genuine expert.” Although it is not yet capable of human-like thought, Altman believes it represents a significant step toward that objective. He clarified that this is not a model that continuously learns from new information during use — a feature he considers essential for achieving true artificial general intelligence (AGI). Nevertheless, he described its capabilities as “a huge advance.”
Industry observers say the arrival of this new generation of AI could transform how people live and work. In an internal message, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote, “With the acceleration of AI development, superintelligence is now visible on the horizon. I believe this will herald a new era for humankind.”
Altman added that many “countless potential advances” remain on the road to AGI and that OpenAI will continue to invest heavily in large-scale computing power. Tech giants such as Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Elon Musk’s xAI have invested billions of dollars in AI research and development since the first ChatGPT launch in late 2022. Earlier this year, a Chinese startup, Dipsik, surprised the sector by unveiling a powerful model built on more affordable chips.
