Following the latest generation GPT-5's failure to maintain previous acclaim, OpenAI is sending a clear signal to the outside world: the AI giant's future no longer relies solely on iterating a single model.
At a media dinner held one week after GPT-5's release, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shifted focus from discussing the new model's performance to the company's grand future blueprint. Unlike GPT-4's stunning debut, GPT-5's performance is merely considered on par with competitors like Google and Anthropic, failing to achieve disruptive breakthroughs. Its model style and forced switching mechanisms even sparked dissatisfaction among some users.
Facing mixed feedback on GPT-5, Altman revealed a series of expansion plans beyond ChatGPT. He confirmed that incoming applications CEO Fidji Simo will oversee the launch of multiple new consumer applications, potentially including the much-anticipated AI browser and AI social products. Additionally, he confirmed the company's intention to invest in a brain-computer interface startup, entering the field dominated by Musk's Neuralink.
Despite GPT-5's lukewarm reception, its commercial impact was surprisingly strong. Altman stated that within 48 hours of GPT-5's launch, the company's API traffic doubled, rapidly depleting GPU resources. This contradiction between market performance and product reputation reveals OpenAI's current predicament: it urgently seeks to break free from dependence on a single flagship product while paving the way for massive capital requirements and longer-term ambitions.
**GPT-5 Launch Falls Short, Leadership Acknowledges Missteps**
Unlike the fervor generated by previous iterations, GPT-5's debut was marked by complications. Evidence suggests its performance failed to create the same competitive gap as GPT-4. More importantly, due to the model's response style and forced switching mechanisms, some users experienced poor performance, prompting OpenAI to restore GPT-4o and model selector functionality.
In discussions with media, OpenAI executives candidly reviewed lessons learned from this launch. Regarding the abandonment of GPT-4o without adequate user notification, Sam Altman stated directly:
"I really think we messed this up." He promised that future model deprecations would provide users with clearer "transition periods."
ChatGPT Vice President Nick Turley revealed that the company is working on updates aimed at making GPT-5's responses "warmer" while avoiding "fawning" behavior that might reinforce users' unhealthy patterns. Turley indicated that OpenAI has collaborated with mental health experts to establish evaluation criteria ensuring the model can effectively intervene in unhealthy user behaviors. According to Altman's estimates, less than 1% of ChatGPT users may have unhealthy relationships with the chatbot.
**Beyond ChatGPT: Expanding into Diverse Hardware and Applications**
The dinner's core message wasn't defending GPT-5, but revealing an OpenAI that transcends ChatGPT. Company executives left the impression that individual model releases hold far less importance than during GPT-4's 2023 launch. Today's OpenAI is committed to challenging existing giants across search, consumer hardware, and enterprise software.
Sam Altman shared the company's latest developments in these areas:
**Hardware Devices:** Altman mentioned AI devices being developed in collaboration with former Apple design chief Jony Ive, emphasizing their "beautiful" design.
**Consumer Applications:** Incoming applications CEO Fidji Simo will lead development of multiple consumer applications beyond ChatGPT. Reports suggest this may include an AI browser directly competing with Google Chrome. Altman even joked that if Chrome were truly for sale, "we should take a look."
**Social Media:** Altman expressed interest in exploring "building cooler social experiences with AI," stating that current AI applications in social media provide him no inspiration.
Beyond consumer-facing products, OpenAI's reach extends into more cutting-edge technology fields. Altman confirmed at the dinner that the company plans to invest in a brain-computer interface (BCI) startup called Merge Labs, viewed as a direct challenge to Musk's Neuralink.
Although Altman emphasized "we haven't completed that deal yet, but I hope we can," describing the company as "one we would invest in." How Merge Labs will deeply integrate with OpenAI's models and devices remains to be seen.
**Strong Commercial Performance Highlights Long-term Capital Requirements**
Despite GPT-5's troubled launch, OpenAI's commercial fundamentals remain robust. Altman revealed that API traffic doubled within 48 hours of the new model's release, with market demand so strong that the company "ran out of GPUs." AI programming assistants including Cursor have already set GPT-5 as their default model.
This contradiction between reputation and performance reflects OpenAI's true situation and future direction. Whether developing AI hardware, browsers, or investing in brain-computer interfaces, data centers, and robotics technology, these ambitious plans require massive capital expenditure. Consequently, speculation is widespread that OpenAI may increasingly consider an initial public offering (IPO) to meet its capital needs.
From this carefully orchestrated dinner, it's evident that Altman is not only repairing and maintaining media relationships but, more importantly, hoping the outside world will view OpenAI as a more diversified technological force beyond its most famous product. Its ultimate form may resemble Google's parent company Alphabet, or potentially even larger.