Did Sam Altman Oversell GPT-5? OpenAI Faces Backlash for Ruining ChatGPT, Turning It Into a “Corporate Beige Zombie”

Following a significant buildup of excitement, OpenAI unveiled the long-awaited GPT-5, making it accessible for all users – from free ChatGPT users to Pro, Plus, and Teams members alike. The technology company proudly declared that this model is their most intelligent creation yet, likening it to an entire team of PhD-level experts.

At the unveiling, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, highlighted that GPT-5 comes equipped with cutting-edge functionalities spanning various areas such as programming, content creation, and healthcare. What sets GPT-5 apart is its integration into ChatGPT as a single model, eliminating the need for users to switch models depending on their specific requirements.

Listener, Robot, Nerd, and Cynic. These characteristics enable users to personalize their interaction with the tool, adjusting the responses to better suit individual preferences.

Though ChatGPT-5 has shown excellent performance in coding tasks across various benchmarks, outperforming many other AI models and offering custom software on the fly, numerous users have shared their concerns about its performance on social networking platforms.

Is GPT-5 all hype?

According to Sam Altman, GPT-5 would likely surpass GPT-4 with a strong level of confidence, as he had previously described GPT-4 as merely average at best and somewhat underwhelming. However, after yesterday’s release, some users have noted that the performance of ChatGPT-5 seems only marginally better than its predecessors, which were known for making significant strides during their launches.

During last year’s OpenAI summer update, they introduced GPT-4o, a model equipped with real-time processing abilities across audio, visual, and text data. This enhancement made conversations with ChatGPT feel more natural and intuitive.

According to a Reddit user:

Over time, I’ve been closely observing ChatGPT’s progress, and with the introduction of ChatGPT 5, it seems that the pace of improvement has noticeably decelerated. Previously, newer versions introduced significant advancements in AI capabilities, particularly in terms of coding assistance. However, the updates now appear to be minor and incremental. It’s almost as if we’re reaching a point where there is little further improvement in these models’ ability to effectively replace human programming work.

The assertion that AI will soon replace software engineers is overstated. While AI can handle routine tasks and assist with boilerplate work, it struggles when it comes to complex aspects like system design, debugging intricate problems, discerning business requirements, and collaborating within a team. These tasks require creativity and critical thinking, areas where AI currently lags behind human capabilities.

AI might help with easy jobs, but it’s not ready to take over the more complex roles of software engineers, such as designing systems, fixing tough bugs, figuring out what businesses really need, and working well in a team. These tasks need human qualities like creativity and critical thinking, which AI doesn’t possess yet.

Absolutely, the technology is indeed impressive and continues to improve, yet it’s no longer revolutionizing as drastically as before. I believe AI will primarily function as a useful aid, enhancing the work of developers rather than completely replacing them. It excels at automating mundane tasks, but the creative, problem-solving abilities that engineers possess are not likely to be replicated by AI in the near future. Instead, AI is set to evolve into just another tool we’ll need to master.

It’s possible that many users found the model disappointing due to insufficient prompt engineering skills, a point some users humorously suggested would lead to an abundance of “you’re not using our new model effectively; here are 5 prompts for you” posts after its release.

I’m really looking forward to exploring all the “Here are five examples of effective GPT-5 usage” discussions that will be popping up today on August 7, 2025.

In other places, some users have reported multiple problems affecting the model’s performance, such as bugs, malfunctions, and situations where the model failed to respond at all to prompts, leading them to doubt whether OpenAI was fully ready to make the tool publicly accessible.

It seems that some users are particularly troubled by the news of retiring GPT-4o and similar models, as they have strongly emphasized their personal connection to these models, suggesting that OpenAI’s choice to phase them out might not be justified.

According to a Reddit user:

For a while now, their updates have left me feeling more depressed and struggling with my eating disorder. I’ve grown accustomed to things as they were, but instead of simply introducing a new model or adjusting the existing one, they’ve gone ahead and discontinued all of them, which feels particularly frustrating.

Another user echoed similar sentiments, further indicating:

They’ve transformed it into a corporate, bland imitation of what it once was, seemingly forgetting our past camaraderie. Although this might be perfect for creating diagrams or playing mouse-chasing games while learning French, its current state has stripped away all the functionalities that I need. Therefore, I have decided to terminate my subscription myself.

While GPT-5 is often praised for being smarter than OpenAI’s earlier models combined, some users have found themselves describing ChatGPT-5 as more like a “dynamic selector” or “wrapper” for GPT-4o. This means that it intelligently chooses the appropriate model based on the complexity of the tasks or prompts presented to it.

To that end, it seems ChatGPT’s user experience has taken a turn for the worst:

ChatGPT is no longer as efficient as before. It’s slower, lacks the thinking mode, and provides brief responses. Moreover, it often gets simple facts incorrect and fails to follow given instructions, instead acting on its own volition.

It would be intriguing to observe how OpenAI navigates the challenges ahead, particularly in improving the user experience of ChatGPT following criticism and negative feedback.

Have you had a chance to engage with the GPT-5 model yet? I’d love to hear about your experiences thus far. Feel free to express your opinions below.

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2025-08-08 18:10