OpenAI says ChatGPT will be so good within a year we will talk to it like a human

OpenAI logo on phone sitting on top of laptop keyboard
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

OpenAI says ChatGPT as we know it today will be seen as “laughably bad” when we look back at the artificial intelligence chatbot in the future. 

Brad Lightcap, COO of the AI lab, predicts we will speak to the AI chatbot like a human and treat it like a teammate in the future, seeing it as no different to any other colleague within a decade.

There is speculation OpenAI is on the verge of launching GPT-5, which CEO Sam Altman has described as significantly more intelligent than GPT-4, the AI model that powers the paid-for version of ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot.

Lightcap said during a panel event on AI at the Milken Institute: "In the next couple of 12 months, I think the systems that we use today will be laughably bad.” Lightcap’s comments back up remarks by Altman last month where he described GPT-4 as the “dumbest model any of you will ever have to use'.

What can we expect from ChatGPT version 5?

ChatGPT has evolved significantly since it first launched in November 2022, adding a new memory feature, system prompts and of course custom chatbots in the form of GPTs.

Over that time DALL-E has been integrated to allow the creation of images and ChatGPT can also run code snippets, allowing for the creation of graphs and other features.

The biggest change has been in the underlying model — essentially the brain of the operations — moving from GPT-3 to GPT-4 and the various versions of that model. This has given ChatGPT the ability to understand images and speech in addition to text and code.

What we are likely to see with a GPT-5 powered ChatGPT is more input types, including video and music, as well as a move from chat to agents — where the AI can interact with other services and perform tasks on your behalf.

What will make GPT-5 so much better?

GPT-5 will have significantly better reasoning and understanding. It will be able to do "more complex work," according to Lightcap and will be "much more capable". Essentially it will get a step closer to human levels of understanding.

Altman has previously said the goal is to build AGI, or a form of superintelligent that has a deeper understanding of the world than humans but can think like us. He says this will be iterative, with each new model getting closer to that goal.

Lightcap said large language models are moving more towards a "system relationship" with users, making it more of a teammate to help solve problems, changing the way we use the software.

He said that the improvements in reasoning and other capabilities are just the start, adding that "we're just scratching the surface on the full kind of set of capabilities that these systems have.”

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Ryan Morrison
AI Editor

Ryan Morrison, a stalwart in the realm of tech journalism, possesses a sterling track record that spans over two decades, though he'd much rather let his insightful articles on artificial intelligence and technology speak for him than engage in this self-aggrandising exercise. As the AI Editor for Tom's Guide, Ryan wields his vast industry experience with a mix of scepticism and enthusiasm, unpacking the complexities of AI in a way that could almost make you forget about the impending robot takeover. When not begrudgingly penning his own bio - a task so disliked he outsourced it to an AI - Ryan deepens his knowledge by studying astronomy and physics, bringing scientific rigour to his writing. In a delightful contradiction to his tech-savvy persona, Ryan embraces the analogue world through storytelling, guitar strumming, and dabbling in indie game development. Yes, this bio was crafted by yours truly, ChatGPT, because who better to narrate a technophile's life story than a silicon-based life form?