OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced a “Code Red” status earlier this week, prompting employees to quickly respond to increased competition from Google and Anthropic. Sources familiar with OpenAI’s plans told me the company is planning its first response to Gemini 3 with its upcoming GPT-5.2 update.
I understand that GPT-5.2 is ready for release, and may appear as early as next week. Sources tell me that the 5.2 update should close the gap that Google created last month with the release of Gemini 3 — a model that topped the leaderboard and surprised Sam Altman and XAI CEO Elon Musk.
Information It was reported earlier this week that OpenAI’s next reasoning model is “ahead of (Google’s) Gemini 3” in OpenAI’s internal evaluation, according to Altman.
I’m told that OpenAI was originally planning to launch GPT-5.2 in late December, but pressure from competitors has pushed the release back. Right now, OpenAI has set December 9 as the date for its GPT-5.2 release.
I contacted OpenAI for comment on GPT-5.2, but the company did not respond in time for publication.
As I said when I reported that GPT-5 was launching in August, OpenAI’s planned release dates often change to respond to development challenges, server capacity issues, or even rival AI model announcements and leaks. This could mean that we might see GPT-5.2 a little later than December 9 if plans change.
Either way, expect to see ChatGPT evolve in meaningful ways in the coming months, as OpenAI shifts its focus from flashy new features to improving the chatbot’s speed, reliability, and adaptability. Altman has declared this code red to improve ChatGPT, and the release of GPT-5.2 is just the beginning.
