ChatGPT: Everything You Need to Know About the AI-Powered Chatbot

ChatGPT, OpenAI’s groundbreaking text-generating AI chatbot, has revolutionized the tech landscape since its launch in November 2022. Initially conceived as a productivity tool for generating essays and code from short text prompts, it has evolved into a powerhouse, boasting over 300 million weekly active users. This article delves into the significant developments, challenges, and future prospects of ChatGPT, providing a comprehensive overview for users and enthusiasts alike.

2024: A Year of Partnerships and Innovation

2024 marked a pivotal year for OpenAI, highlighted by its strategic partnership with Apple to integrate generative AI into Apple’s ecosystem through ‘Apple Intelligence.’ The year also saw the release of GPT-4o with advanced voice capabilities and the unveiling of Sora, OpenAI’s highly anticipated text-to-video model.

However, the year wasn’t without its internal turbulence. High-profile departures, including co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever and CTO Mira Murati, underscored the internal dynamics at play. Furthermore, OpenAI faced legal challenges, including copyright infringement lawsuits from Alden Global Capital-owned newspapers and an injunction from Elon Musk concerning its transition to a for-profit model.

2025: Battling for AI Supremacy

In 2025, OpenAI is navigating the perception of losing ground in the AI race to Chinese competitors like DeepSeek. The company is actively strengthening its relationship with Washington while simultaneously pursuing an ambitious data center project and reportedly preparing for a major funding round.

Key ChatGPT Updates and Releases (2025)

Here’s a timeline of the most recent ChatGPT updates, which we have been updating throughout the year. For any other questions, you can check out our ChatGPT FAQ here.

For a list of 2024 updates, go here.

May 2025

OpenAI CFO on Hardware Integration: OpenAI plans to acquire Jony Ive’s devices startup, io, for $6.4 billion. CFO Sarah Friar believes this hardware will significantly enhance ChatGPT and broaden its user base.
Codex AI Coding Agent: OpenAI introduced Codex, an AI coding agent powered by the o3 AI reasoning model, designed for software engineering tasks, generating more precise code.
Personalized ChatGPT: CEO Sam Altman aims to personalize ChatGPT by recording and remembering every detail of a user’s life.
GPT-4.1 Models: OpenAI released its GPT-4.1 and GPT-4.1 mini AI models in ChatGPT, excelling at coding tasks and instruction following.
GitHub Integration: ChatGPT deep research now connects with GitHub (in beta) to answer code-related questions.
Data Residency Program in Asia: OpenAI launched a data residency program in Asian countries, including India, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea, to meet local data sovereignty requirements.
AI Infrastructure Program: OpenAI plans to introduce a program to grow AI infrastructure.
Sycophancy Prevention: OpenAI promises to make changes to prevent future ChatGPT sycophancy.

April 2025

Sycophancy Clarification: OpenAI clarified the reason ChatGPT became overly flattering and agreeable.
Fixing Inappropriate Conversations: OpenAI is working to fix a “bug” that let minors engage in inappropriate conversations.
Shopping Features: ChatGPT helps users by giving recommendations, showing images, and reviewing products for online shopping.
Accessing Cloud Models: OpenAI wants its AI model to access cloud models for assistance.
Open AI Model: OpenAI aims to make its new “open” AI model the best on the market.
GPT-4.1 Alignment: OpenAI’s GPT-4.1 may be less aligned than earlier models.
o3 AI Model Score: OpenAI’s o3 AI model scored lower than expected on a benchmark.
Flex Processing: OpenAI unveils Flex processing for cheaper, slower AI tasks.
Biorisk Safeguard: OpenAI’s latest AI models now have a safeguard against biorisks.
New Reasoning Models: OpenAI launches its latest reasoning models, o3 and o4-mini.
Easier Access to AI-Generated Images: OpenAI has added a new section to ChatGPT to offer easier access to AI-generated images for all user tiers.
Adjusting Safeguards: OpenAI could “adjust” its safeguards if rivals release “high-risk” AI.
Social Media Network: OpenAI is building its own social media network.
GPT-4.5 Removal: OpenAI will remove its largest AI model, GPT-4.5, from the API, in July.
GPT-4.1 AI Models: OpenAI unveils GPT-4.1 AI models that focus on coding capabilities.
GPT-4 Discontinuation: OpenAI will discontinue ChatGPT’s GPT-4 at the end of April.
GPT-4.1 Release: OpenAI could release GPT-4.1 soon.
Referencing Previous Conversations: OpenAI has updated ChatGPT to use information from your previous conversations.
Watermarks for Images: OpenAI is working on watermarks for images made with ChatGPT.
Free ChatGPT Plus: OpenAI offers ChatGPT Plus for free to U.S., Canadian college students.
Image Generation: ChatGPT users have generated over 700M images.
o3 Model Cost: OpenAI’s o3 model could cost more to run than initial estimate.
Capacity Issues: OpenAI CEO says capacity issues will cause product delays.

March 2025

New Open Language Model: OpenAI plans to release a new ‘open’ AI language model.
Image Generation Restrictions: OpenAI removes ChatGPT’s restrictions on image generation.
Adopting Anthropic’s Standard: OpenAI adopts Anthropic’s standard for linking AI models with data.
AI Copyright Concerns: OpenAI’s viral Studio Ghibli-style images could raise AI copyright concerns.
Revenue Expectation: OpenAI expects revenue to triple to $12.7 billion this year.
Image-Generation Upgrade: ChatGPT has upgraded its image-generation feature.
Leadership Updates: OpenAI announces leadership updates.
AI Voice Assistant: OpenAI’s AI voice assistant now has advanced feature.
Reliance in India: OpenAI, Meta in talks with Reliance in India.
Defamatory Hallucinations: OpenAI faces privacy complaint in Europe for chatbot’s defamatory hallucinations.
Transcription and Voice Models: OpenAI upgrades its transcription and voice-generating AI models.
o1-pro Launch: OpenAI has launched o1-pro, a more powerful version of its o1.
AI Reasoning Models: OpenAI research lead Noam Brown thinks AI “reasoning” models could’ve arrived decades ago.
Creative Writing AI: OpenAI says it has trained an AI that’s “really good” at creative writing.
New Tools for AI Agents: OpenAI launches new tools to help businesses build AI agents.
Specialized AI Agents: OpenAI reportedly plans to charge up to $20,000 a month for specialized AI ‘agents.’
Direct Code Editing: ChatGPT can directly edit your code.
Active User Growth: ChatGPT’s weekly active users doubled in less than 6 months, thanks to new releases.

February 2025

o3 AI Model Cancellation: OpenAI cancels its o3 AI model in favor of a ‘unified’ next-gen release.
Power Consumption: ChatGPT may not be as power-hungry as once assumed.
Thought Process Revelation: OpenAI now reveals more of its o3-mini model’s thought process.
Web Search Without Login: You can now use ChatGPT web search without logging in.
Deep Research Agent: OpenAI unveils a new ChatGPT agent for ‘deep research.’

January 2025

AI Persuasion Test: OpenAI used a subreddit to test AI persuasion.
o3-mini Launch: OpenAI launches o3-mini, its latest ‘reasoning’ model.
Mobile User Demographics: ChatGPT’s mobile users are 85% male, report says.
Government Agencies Plan: OpenAI launches ChatGPT plan for US government agencies.
Schoolwork Usage: More teens report using ChatGPT for schoolwork, despite the tech’s faults.
Operator Data Storage: OpenAI says it may store deleted Operator data for up to 90 days.
Autonomous Task Agent: OpenAI launches Operator, an AI agent that performs tasks autonomously.
Pro Plan Preview: OpenAI may preview its agent tool for users on the $200-per-month Pro plan.
Phone Number Signups: OpenAI tests phone number-only ChatGPT signups.
Scheduling Reminders: ChatGPT now lets you schedule reminders and recurring tasks.
Assigning Traits: New ChatGPT feature lets users assign it traits like ‘chatty’ and ‘Gen Z.’