OpenAI to Reportedly Release GPT-5.2 AI Model This Week, But ‘Code Red’ Will Continue

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's declaration of code red is reportedly bearing fruit already. As per the report, the artificial intelligence (AI) giant is already making breakthroughs, which could result in the release of the next major update for the current frontier model, GPT-5.2, before the end of the week. However, it is said that despite the model closing the gap between ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, the company will continue its pause on all non-ChatGPT projects till January, when another AI model could be launched.

Sam Altman's Code Red Could Continue Till Two New AI Models Arrive

According to The Wall Street Journal, the AI giant will release the GPT-5.2 AI model this week. Citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, the publication claimed that the new model could bring coding and enterprise-focused upgrades. The model is reportedly being released despite some employees asking for an extension to improve its capabilities.

However, this will not end the code red. Altman, during a lunch meeting on Monday with journalists in New York, reportedly said that OpenAI is planning to release another AI model in January. This model is said to offer better image generation, introduce a better personality (likely closer to the GPT-4o model), and have lower latency compared to the current frontier model. The release of the model is also said to mark the end of code red for the company.

WSJ also shared more details from the code red memo that started these developments. Altman reportedly told employees that improving the product requires a stronger implementation of user signals. Those signals, derived from one-click preferences or comparisons between model outputs, were previously linked to the sycophancy issues seen in the GPT-4o model.

Altman reportedly also emphasised the focus on LMArena, a crowdsourced AI model ranking platform. The CEO mentioned that every time a model has performed well on the rankings, it has also been a hit among users, as per the report. Both of these factors are reportedly a high-priority area for the AI giant.

Internally, the “code red” has reportedly created a divide between product-focused teams, led by executives such as CEO of Applications Fidji Simo and CFO Sarah Friar, and researchers focused on artificial general intelligence (AGI). While researchers reportedly pushed for more work on advanced reasoning models, product teams argued for greater investment in everyday user experience in ChatGPT and letting users find value in existing features before building new capabilities.