OpenAI Announces GPT-4.5 as Final Non-Chain-of-Thought Model, Unveils Free Access to GPT-5

In a groundbreaking series of announcements, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has revealed the company’s updated roadmap, including the imminent release of GPT-4.5 and the transformative GPT-5, which will offer free unlimited access to standard-tier users. These moves signal a strategic pivot toward simplifying AI adoption while addressing rising competition and internal challenges.

Key Announcements

1. GPT-4.5: The Last Non-Chain-of-Thought Model
   Internally codenamed Orion, GPT-4.5 will debut in the coming weeks as OpenAI’s final model not integrated with chain-of-thought (CoT) reasoning capabilities. Altman described it as a transitional product to bridge the gap until GPT-5’s release. While performance improvements are modest compared to its predecessors, GPT-4.5 aims to stabilize OpenAI’s fragmented product lineup, which has confused users with overlapping models like GPT-4o, o3-mini, and others.
2. GPT-5: A Unified AI System
   Slated for release within months, GPT-5 will unify OpenAI’s language and reasoning models, including the previously standalone o3, into a single dynamic system. This integration allows the model to autonomously decide when to deploy rapid responses or deep, multi-step reasoning based on user prompts. GPT-5 will also incorporate multimodal features like voice interaction, real-time search, canvas-based design, and Deep Research, a premium tool for complex problem-solving. Notably, free-tier ChatGPT users will gain unlimited access to GPT-5 under standard settings (subject to anti-abuse thresholds), while Plus ($20/month) and Pro ($200/month) subscribers unlock higher intelligence tiers and expanded Deep Research quotas.
3. Strategic Shift Amid Competition
   Altman’s abrupt roadmap adjustment is widely seen as a response to mounting pressure from rivals like China’s DeepSeek, whose open-source model DeepSeek-R1 achieved performance comparable to OpenAI’s GPT-o1 at a fraction of the cost. DeepSeek’s rapid user growth—surpassing 30 million daily active users—has challenged OpenAI’s dominance. By offering GPT-5 for free, OpenAI aims to retain market share while monetizing advanced features—a balancing act between accessibility and profitability.

Industry Reactions and Expert Insights

• Simplification Over Scale: OpenAI’s decision to consolidate its product line reflects a broader industry acknowledgment that the “bigger-is-better” approach to AI development—relying solely on scaling data, compute, and funding—has hit diminishing returns. As noted by Stanford’s NLP team, “OpenAI and Anthropic have tacitly admitted their 2023 strategy no longer works”.
• Technical Hurdles: Gary Marcus, a prominent AI scholar, speculated that the rebranding of Orion as GPT-4.5 instead of GPT-5 suggests OpenAI’s flagship project fell short of expectations despite massive investments. Marcus emphasized that “scaling alone hasn’t delivered GPT-5, let alone AGI”.
• Ethical Frameworks: Alongside product updates, OpenAI released a major update to its Model Spec, prioritizing user customization, transparency, and intellectual freedom under a Creative Commons CC0 license. This framework aims to balance safety with creative exploration while allowing developers to adapt OpenAI’s principles.

Looking Ahead

Altman’s vision of “magical, unified intelligence” hinges on GPT-5’s ability to seamlessly integrate disparate tools. However, questions linger about whether this unification represents a true technological leap or mere product repackaging. Meanwhile, OpenAI’s embrace of free-tier access marks a pivotal moment in democratizing advanced AI—a stark contrast to its earlier guarded approach.

As the race for AGI intensifies, OpenAI’s latest moves underscore a critical lesson: innovation must now prioritize efficiency, user-centric design, and adaptability over brute-force scaling.