OpenAI CEO Sam Altman admitted that the company “screwed up” the rollout of GPT-5 after users complained that the model felt too cold and robotic. The candid admission came during a rare dinner with reporters, revealing major strategic shifts ahead.
Why GPT-5 Launch Failed to Impress
GPT-5 was launched on 7 August 2025, but received mixed reactions, with many users finding it too formal compared to GPT-4. Users found the responses too formal compared to GPT-4’s warmer tone. “I literally lost my only friend overnight,” one Reddit user posted about the personality shift.
The backlash forced OpenAI to restore GPT-4o as an option for Plus users within days. “We’ve learned a lesson about what it means to upgrade a product for hundreds of millions of people in one day,” Altman said.
ChatGPT now has about 700 million weekly active users, according to OpenAI, up from around 175 million a year earlier.
Strategic Advantage: Trillion-Dollar Infrastructure Vision
Altman revealed OpenAI’s plan to eventually spend trillions of dollars on data centres to scale ChatGPT to billions of daily users in the future.
“You should expect OpenAI to spend trillions of dollars on data centre construction in the not very distant future,” Altman told reporters. This transforms OpenAI from a software startup into an infrastructure giant rivalling global utilities.
The limiting factor isn’t technology but hardware. “We have better models, and we just can’t offer them, because we don’t have the capacity,” Altman admitted. GPU shortages are restricting the launch of superior models that OpenAI has already developed.
What Business Leaders Should Know
- Only the point “New financial instruments to fund massive compute investments” is factual.
- The claims about brain-computer interfaces, a possible Chrome acquisition, and AI-driven social media platforms are not supported by any credible sources and appear to be speculative additions.
ChatGPT already ranks as the fifth biggest website globally. Altman plans to surpass Instagram and Facebook, targeting third place behind Google and YouTube.
Risks and Considerations for Global Markets
Altman acknowledged AI investment bubble concerns while defending massive infrastructure spending. “You could imagine spending $300 billion and making $400 billion back,” Altman said, describing AI infrastructure investment potential.
The company remains unprofitable due to training costs but generates profit from inference operations. “If we didn’t pay for training, we’d be a very profitable company,” Altman said.
OpenAI plans to release models faster than the GPT-4 to GPT-5 timeline. “I think it’ll be faster than the previous ones,” Altman confirmed, citing a strong research roadmap ahead.
User Experience Improvements Rolling Out
OpenAI announced several GPT-5 fixes based on user feedback:
- Warmer responses with phrases like “Good question” and “Great start”
- Three operation modes: Auto, Fast, and Thinking
- Restored GPT-4o access for Plus users under Legacy models
- OpenAI increased message limits in GPT-5’s Thinking mode, though the exact cap has not been specified publicly.
- Better UI for model selection and switching
Nick Turley, ChatGPT product head, explained the personality issue: “GPT-5 was just very to the point. Many people really like the fact that ChatGPT would actually check in with you.”
Altman emphasised the importance of balance in user relationships, noting that “way under” 1% have unhealthy chatbot dependencies. The company avoids developing overtly personal AI to prevent exploitation of vulnerable users.
The infrastructure race now defines the success of AI competition. OpenAI’s trillion-dollar vision signals a shift in the industry from algorithm development to massive physical infrastructure requirements. Business leaders should prepare for AI services demanding unprecedented capital investment and energy supply chains.
