OpenAI has officially launched GPT-4.5, its most powerful and compute-intensive AI model to date, internally codenamed "Orion." This latest iteration promises significant improvements in understanding prompts, generating responses, and enhancing user interactions. However, access to this cutting-edge AI comes at a premium—GPT-4.5 is initially available only to subscribers of OpenAI’s $200-a-month ChatGPT Pro plan.
The AI Race Continues: OpenAI’s Answer to the Competition
2025 has already been a landmark year for AI advancements, with multiple companies rolling out their latest models. Anthropic recently introduced a hybrid reasoning model for its Claude chatbot, while DeepSeek’s budget-friendly R1 model disrupted the AI landscape with its efficiency. OpenAI, however, remains committed to a different approach—scaling its models to unprecedented levels. GPT-4.5 embodies this philosophy, prioritizing size and computational power to deliver superior conversational and reasoning abilities.
The company has also been making massive investments in AI infrastructure to sustain these larger models. According to OpenAI, this scaling strategy enhances the model’s ability to grasp nuances in human emotions and interactions, leading to more natural and less error-prone conversations. Researchers believe that a model with vast knowledge is less likely to hallucinate—after all, if you know more, you don’t need to make things up.
Exclusive Access and Performance Expectations
GPT-4.5 is being released as a "research preview," with Pro users getting the first look. Rollouts for ChatGPT Plus and Team users will follow next week, with Enterprise and Education users gaining access later. This new model supports key ChatGPT features, including web search, file and image uploads, and the canvas tool. However, AI Voice Mode is not yet compatible with GPT-4.5.
While OpenAI has not disclosed the exact size or compute intensity of GPT-4.5, the academic benchmark results shared by the company suggest that it excels in language-related tasks. However, it appears to fall behind the o3-mini model in mathematics and marginally in science. OpenAI researchers emphasize that these benchmark tests do not fully reflect the model’s capabilities. Instead, they expect the improvements to be most noticeable in real-world usage, particularly in writing, programming, and interactive dialogue.
The End of Non-Reasoning Models?
One of the most intriguing aspects of GPT-4.5 is that it may be the last non-reasoning model OpenAI releases. CEO Sam Altman recently hinted that this version, Orion, marks the end of an era before fully transitioning to chain-of-thought reasoning models. OpenAI’s research team clarified that while reasoning models will play a bigger role in the future, the goal is to create a seamless experience where users no longer have to choose between different models manually.
Nick Ryder, who leads OpenAI’s foundational research, explained that future iterations of ChatGPT will automatically determine the best model for a user’s request. This shift is meant to simplify the user experience, eliminating the need for users to decipher which model—GPT-4.5, o3-mini, or another—is best suited for their needs.
A New Era of AI: Strengths and Challenges
GPT-4.5 represents a major leap forward, particularly in understanding context and generating natural responses. However, questions remain about its computational demands. Larger models often raise concerns about system interpretability—how well researchers and users can understand why the model generates specific outputs. Despite these concerns, Ryder remains optimistic, stating that interpretability methods developed for smaller models remain applicable at larger scales.
OpenAI’s push for unsupervised learning—expanding its dataset and refining training efficiency—further strengthens GPT-4.5’s capabilities. The model is designed to improve on GPT-4’s ability to follow complex prompts, engage in more nuanced conversations, and generate high-quality creative content.
What’s Next for GPT-4.5 and OpenAI?
As part of ongoing efforts to refine and test GPT-4.5, OpenAI is closely monitoring user feedback. Early testers have reported more fluid and engaging interactions, especially in areas requiring creativity, storytelling, and technical explanations.
With competition heating up from Google Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, and open-source models like DeepSeek R1, OpenAI is striving to maintain its position as an industry leader. Whether GPT-4.5 lives up to its promise remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the AI arms race is far from over.
For now, those willing to invest in the premium ChatGPT Pro subscription can experience OpenAI’s most powerful AI yet. As AI technology continues to evolve, GPT-4.5 may be a stepping stone to even more sophisticated and intuitive language models in the near future.
