Sam Altman warns of 'hiccups' as OpenAI prepares GPT-5 launch and new AI features

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has told ChatGPT users to prepare for possible “hiccups” and “capacity crunches” in the coming months as the company rolls out a wave of new products, features, and AI models.

In a post on X, Altman wrote, “We have a ton of stuff to launch over the next couple of months – new models, products, features, and more. Please bear with us through some probable hiccups and capacity crunches. Although it may be slightly choppy, we think you’ll really love what we’ve created for you!”

While Altman did not name specific models, multiple reports suggest OpenAI plans to launch GPT-5 in early August. This next-generation model is expected to be the company’s first large language model with unified reasoning capabilities, meaning users will no longer need to manually select a reasoning model for complex tasks. OpenAI has also confirmed it will release its first-ever open-weights model this month.

GPT-5 is said to be able to determine autonomously when extended reasoning is required. In a recent interview with The Verge, Altman shared a personal example of its capabilities. “I was testing our new model and I got a question. I got emailed a question that I didn’t quite understand. I put it in the model. This GPT5 answered it perfectly and I really kind of sat back in my chair and I was just like oh man…I got over it quickly,” he said.

“I felt like useless relative to the AI in this thing that I felt like I should have been able to do and I couldn’t and it was really hard, but the AI just did it like that,” he added.

Earlier this year, Altman revealed that GPT-5 will be available to all ChatGPT free-tier users with unlimited chats at the standard intelligence setting. ChatGPT Plus subscribers will be able to run the model at a higher intelligence level, while Pro subscribers will access it at an “even higher level of intelligence.”