Sam Altman hints at major OpenAI feature drop, teases o3 and o4-mini models ahead of GPT5 roll out

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has set the tech world abuzz with a series of revealing posts on his social media platform X, hinting at significant upcoming developments in the company’s AI roadmap.

In a post shared early on Thursday, Altman expressed his excitement over a new feature set to launch, writing, “A few times a year I wake up early and can’t fall back asleep because we are launching a new feature I’ve been so excited about for so long. Today is one of those days!” The comment has sparked speculation across the AI community, with many eagerly awaiting details of the surprise release.

This follows a notable update from Altman just days earlier, on 4 April, where he disclosed a shift in OpenAI’s release schedule. Contrary to previous expectations, the company now plans to roll out models codenamed “o3” and “o4-mini” in the coming weeks, pushing the highly anticipated GPT-5 launch to later this year.

“Change of plans: we are going to release o3 and o4-mini after all, probably in a couple of weeks, and then do GPT-5 in a few months,” Altman posted. “There are a bunch of reasons for this, but the most exciting one is that we are going to be able to make GPT-5 much better than we originally thought.”

He acknowledged that integrating all components into GPT-5 had proven more complex than anticipated, noting that OpenAI is also working to ensure it has the necessary infrastructure to handle what he believes will be an “unprecedented demand”.

In another post the same day, Altman hinted at advancements made to the o3 model, suggesting the version being released would surpass previous previews. “We were able to really improve on what we previewed for o3 in many ways; I think people will be happy…” he wrote.

The announcements have heightened anticipation within the tech industry, with experts predicting these interim releases could offer key insights into the capabilities and direction of GPT-5. While OpenAI remains tight-lipped on specific features, Altman’s comments suggest the firm is focused not just on innovation, but also on scalability and user experience.