OpenAI Develops GPT-5 with a More Interactive, Less Aggressive Character
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed that the company is making changes to GPT-5 after receiving criticism from users, noting that the update will make the model more interactive than the current character.
Altman added that feedback received over the past few days highlighted the need to give each user more control over the AI's behavior. This move comes in the wake of a wave of online complaints, after several Reddit users reported that GPT-5 was less engaging than before, providing shorter responses, and sometimes struggling to provide basic answers.
Many also reported that the number of prompts available to them was now reduced, even with the paid ChatGPT Plus subscription. On Reddit, one user wrote that ChatGPT had become slower and less responsive to instructions.
Another claimed that OpenAI deliberately shortens responses to save costs, which they believe could ultimately drive users away from the service. Some longtime users also say they miss GPT-4o, describing GPT-5 as more organized but less interactive.
To address some of the criticism, OpenAI has added additional settings for GPT-5. Users can now choose between "Auto," "Fast," and "Thinking" modes. The default is "Auto," but the other two modes allow greater control over speed and depth.
For GPT-5 Thinking mode, there is now a limit of 3,000 messages per week, after which users can switch to GPT-5 Thinking mini for additional capacity.
This model also supports a context limit of 196,000 tokens, which may change depending on usage. In response to requests for older versions, GPT-4o is now available again in the model selection tool for all paying customers. OpenAI says that if this option is removed, users will receive adequate notification.
Premium users can also enable the "Show additional models" setting to access options such as o3, 4.1, and GPT-5 Thinking mini. GPT-4.5 is still only available to Pro subscribers due to its high price.