OpenAI says latest ChatGPT upgrade is big step forward but still can’t do humans’ jobs
OpenAI has claimed to have taken a “significant step” towards artificial general intelligence (AGI) with the launch of its latest upgrade to ChatGPT, but has admitted there are still “many things” missing in its quest to create a system able to do humans’ jobs.The startup said its GPT-5 model, the underlying technology that will power its breakthrough AI chatbot, represents a big upgrade on its predecessors in areas such as coding and creative writing – and is also a lot less sycophantic.It said the upgrade was being made available to all of ChatGPT’s 700 million weekly users immediately.Sam Altman, OpenAI’s chief executive, called the model a “significant step forward” to achieving the theoretical state of AGI, which the startup defines as a highly autonomous system that outperforms humans at most economically valuable work – or, in other words, can do their jobs.However, Altman admitted GPT-5 had not reached that goal yet.
“[It is] missing something quite important, many things quite important,” said Altman, pointing to the model’s inability to “continuously learn”,Altman said GPT-5 was “generally intelligent” and a “significant step on the path to AGI” but had not reached it yet by most people’s definition,“I think the way that most of us define AGI, we’re still missing something quite important, many things quite important,But one big one is … this is not a model that continuously learns as it’s deployed from things it finds, which is something that, to me, feels like it should be part of AGI,” he said, adding that, nonetheless, it was a “huge improvement” on its predecessors,During a GPT-5 launch event on Thursday, Altman said this latest version of ChatGPT was like having “access to a PhD-level expert in your pocket”.
He described the previous version of the chatbot as a college student, and the version before that as a high school student.AGI’s theoretical capabilities, and the determination of heavily backed tech companies to achieve it, has led to predictions from AI executives that white-collar jobs – from lawyers to accountants, doctors and bankers – will be wiped out by looming advances in the technology.Dario Amodei, the boss of AI developer Anthropic, has warned the technology could replace half of all entry-level office jobs in the next five years.OpenAI said the main improvements in GPT-5 included: fewer factual errors, or hallucinations; better software coding, allowing it to create functional websites and apps; increased capability at creative writing; and, rather than “refusing” a prompt that breaches its guidelines outright, the model will instead try to give the most helpful response possible within safety guidelines, or at least explain why it cannot help.The agent feature in ChatGPT – which carries out tasks such as finding restaurant availability and shopping online – will also be able to access users’ Gmail, Google calendar and contacts, if given permission.
As with its predecessors, GPT-5 can generate voice, image and text and can deal with queries in those formats too.The company on Thursday demoed how GPT-5 can write hundreds of lines of code in seconds and create tools such as a French-language learning programme.Staff said the technology is also writing less robotically and had the chatbot create a “more nuanced” eulogy.Altman said ChatGPT was a good tool for healthcare advice too, bringing onstage a women who had been diagnosed with cancer last year to talk about how the chatbot helped her decide whether or not to get radiation therapy.The company said the upgraded ChatGPT would be better at answering health-related questions and would be more proactive at “flagging potential concerns” – such as serious physical or mental illness, too.
The startup stressed the chatbot was not a replacement for professional help, amid concerns AI tools could worsen the condition of people vulnerable to psychosis.Nick Turley, the head of ChatGPT at OpenAI, said the model showed “significant improvements on sycophancy”, after the startup’s admission this year that the chatbot’s most sophisticated model had become too agreeable and could distress users or make them uncomfortable.The latest model release comes as tech firms pour multibillion-dollar sums into their attempts to achieve AGI.On Tuesday, Google’s AI unit outlined its latest step towards AGI by showcasing an unreleased “world model”, while last week Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook parent Meta, said the development of superintelligence – another theoretical state of AI even more powerful than AGI – was “now in sight”.Investors’ faith in the potential for further breakthroughs, and AI’s ability to transform modern economies, has also spurred a valuation boom in companies such as San Francisco-based OpenAI.
It was reported on Wednesday that OpenAI is in early talks about a sale of shares held by current and former employees that would value it at $500bn, overtaking Elon Musk’s SpaceX.Although OpenAI also released two open models this week and has a free version of ChatGPT, the company makes its revenues from charging for subscriptions to the most powerful versions of the chatbot and from integrating its models into businesses’ IT systems.Use of the free version of GPT-5-backed ChatGPT will be capped, while users on the $200-a-month Pro package will get unlimited access.
Garmin Forerunner 570 review: running watch stumbles just short of greatness
Garmin’s latest mid-range running and multisport watch has smartened up with a very bright OLED screen, voice assistant and upgraded sensors.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.The Forerunner 570 continues the revamp of the company’s running watches, which have all gained more accurate GPS chips and improved heart rate monitors
Trump announces Apple’s plan to invest $100bn in US manufacturing
Donald Trump on Wednesday celebrated a commitment by Apple to increase its investments in US manufacturing by an additional $100bn over the next four years.Apple’s plan to up its domestic investment comes as it seeks to avoid Trump’s threatened tariffs, which would increase the tech giant’s costs as it relies on a complex international supply chain to produce its iPhones. Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, warned during an earnings call in May that the tariffs could cost the company up to $900m that fiscal quarter alone.After Cook gifted Trump a US-made souvenir with a 24-karat gold base at the Oval Office on Wednesday, the president praised the corporation, telling reporters: “Companies like Apple, they’re coming home … This is a significant step toward the ultimate goal of ensuring that iPhones sold in America also are made in America.”Cook said many components of the iPhones are already made domestically, including glass, semiconductors and face ID, but that final assembly of the devices would remain overseas “for a while”
UK car drivers: share your memories and photos of your convertible
According to a new study, convertibles have dwindled to a 25-year low with only 16 new models for sale across the UK’s most popular car manufacturers. SUVs are taking the rap for the decline of convertibles in Britain as people move towards favouring bulkier vehicles.Data from CarGurus UK found that in 2024 there were only 12,173 new convertibles registered in the UK compared to 94,484 in 2004. One of cinema’s most iconic cars is probably the 1966 Ford Thunderbird convertible that Thelma and Louise drove on their their adventures.We would like to hear from people who have, or previously had, a convertible
OpenAI in talks on share sale that would price it above Elon Musk’s SpaceX
OpenAI is reportedly in early talks about a sale of shares held by current and former employees that would value it at half a trillion dollars, overtaking Elon Musk’s SpaceX.If the transaction goes ahead, the value of the ChatGPT developer would rise by about two-thirds, from $300bn (£225bn).Musk’s rocket companyis currently worth $350bn and is reportedly circling a $400bn price tag in a new fundraising.Bloomberg, which first reported the OpenAI talks, said existing investors, including Thrive Capital, have approached the company about buying employee shares. Other investors in OpenAI, which is based in San Francisco, include the Japanese investment company SoftBank, which led the $300bn financing, and Microsoft
Lib Dems call for urgent regulation of YouTube ads after wave of scams
The Liberal Democrats are calling for urgent regulation of YouTube advertising after scams including deepfakes, impersonated public figures and fraudulent investment claims were found to be spreading on the platform with little oversight.The party said YouTube’s adverts remain largely unchecked by independent regulators, despite new data from Ofcom showing the platform has overtaken ITV in weekly UK viewership and continues to dominate children’s media consumption.Among the recent scams onYouTube was a series of ads using an AI-generated voice and likeness of the consumer champion Martin Lewis to promote a cryptocurrency scheme, despite Lewis having no involvement. The videos, which have drawn thousands of complaints on Reddit and X, mislead users into thinking they are receiving financial advice from a trusted source.Other viewers have reported false product claims, scam diet pills and fake competitions
OpenAI takes on Meta and DeepSeek with free and customisable AI models
OpenAI is taking on Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta and Chinese rival DeepSeek by launching its own freely available artificial intelligence models.The ChatGPT developer has announced two “open weight” large language models, which are free to download and can be customised by developers.Meta’s Llama models are available on a similar basis, and OpenAI’s move marks a departure from ChatGPT, which is based on a “closed” model that cannot be customised.Sam Altman, OpenAI’s chief executive, said the company was excited to add to a stack of freely available AI models “based on democratic values … and for wide benefit”.He added: “We’re excited to make this model, the result of billions of dollars of research, available to the world to get AI into the hands of the most people possible
Thomasina Miers’ recipes for lamb koftas with buttery tomato sauce and cacik
Frying solo? 20 pantry, fridge and freezer essentials for single households
Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for baked feta tacos with pink onion and pineapple salsa | Quick and easy
How to make perfect fresh tomato pasta – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to make the perfect …
The Greyhound, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire: ‘An oligarch’s saloon bar teetering on the edge of chintz’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants
What? They’re doing raves in the morning now? With coffee? At a cafe?