OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reveals that the development of a new AI model is taking longer than expected due to the inability to 'ship' as quickly as desired.

• GPT-5, OpenAI's next likely large AI model, may not be released this year, according to CEO Sam Altman.
• During a Reddit AMA on Thursday, Altman stated that the models have become quite complex and it is difficult to ship as many things in parallel as desired.
• In recent months, controversy has surrounded OpenAI's upcoming transition to a for-profit structure and a series of recent executive departures.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated on Thursday that the next major AI model release from his company is unlikely to occur this year, as the company is currently prioritizing the shipping of existing models that specialize in reasoning and complex inquiries.

"Altman stated during a Reddit AMA that the models have become quite complex, making it difficult to ship as many things in parallel as desired. He explained that the company faces limitations and must make tough decisions when allocating compute resources to multiple promising ideas."

The user inquired about the release date of GPT-5 or an equivalent model from Altman, the company that produces the family of large language models. OpenAI released GPT-4 in March 2023.

OpenAI has some promising releases planned for later this year, but nothing that will be labeled as GPT-5.

OpenAI is under pressure to release faster and more efficient updates as its competitors, including internet giants and well-funded startups such as Anthropic, improve their artificial intelligence models. OpenAI raised $157 billion in its latest funding round earlier this month. Despite this, the company is projected to lose $5 billion on $3.7 billion in revenue this year, according to CNBC's September report.

Executives from OpenAI were questioned by Reddit users regarding the release dates for upcoming models and features, including Sora, a video-generation model, a new version of the image-generation model DALL-E, a "camera mode" for ChatGPT, and vision capabilities for Advanced Voice Mode, or AVM, within ChatGPT.

Kevin Weil, the product chief of OpenAI, responded to a question about the cause of Sora's delay by stating that they need to improve the model, ensure safety and impersonation, and increase compute power.

The next version of DALL-E will be worth the wait, but there is no release plan yet. Similarly, there is no planned release date for AVM Vision. Srinivas Narayanan, OpenAI's engineering vice president, stated that there is no exact release date planned yet for ChatGPT's camera mode.

On Thursday, OpenAI introduced a search function within the ChatGPT chatbot, enabling it to better compete with search engines such as Google, Microsoft's Bing, and Perplexity.

The company's ChatGPT search engine provides real-time updates on sports scores, stock quotes, news, and weather, using web search technology and partnerships with providers, as stated by the company. The search engine prototype, called SearchGPT, was beta-tested in July.

Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, Alphabet investors have been concerned that OpenAI could take market share from Google in search by providing consumers with new ways to seek information online. Additionally, the move positions OpenAI as a competitor to Microsoft, which has invested close to $14 billion in the company.

ChatGPT utilizes a variety of services, with Bing being a crucial component.

Altman has named search his "favorite feature" in ChatGPT since its launch.

The Reddit discussion touched on OpenAI's recent controversies, including its shift to a for-profit model and a series of high-profile executive departures.

"Although we are disappointed that some of our previous colleagues are no longer with us, we have a highly skilled team and several new talented individuals who have recently joined our organization. Additionally, we continue to deliver on our commitments, which is crucial."

Altman, a former board member and major investor in Reddit, saw his stake increase to almost $1.5 billion after the company's better-than-expected earnings led to a 42% spike in its stock price Wednesday and another 3.2% gain Thursday.

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