December 2025

New Controls and Safety Updates

OpenAI introduced customizable controls for ChatGPT, allowing users to adjust the chatbot's warmth, enthusiasm, emoji use, and formatting style. The company also updated guidelines for users under 18, adding resources for parents to promote safer interactions. In a move to address mental health concerns, OpenAI enhanced detection of suicide-related conversations and began rolling out parental controls.

Revenue Milestones and Model Releases

ChatGPT surpassed $3 billion in mobile app revenue, outpacing TikTok and other apps. OpenAI released GPT-5.2 in three versions—Instant, Thinking, and Pro—to cater to different needs. The company also launched GPT Image 1.5, an upgraded image generation model with better instruction following.

Partnerships and Enterprise Growth

Disney invested $1 billion in OpenAI, bringing characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars to Sora for AI video creation. Enterprise use surged, with ChatGPT message volume increasing 8x since late 2024. CEO Sam Altman declared a 'code red' to prioritize improving ChatGPT amid rising competition from Google and others.

November 2025

New Features and Legal Challenges

OpenAI introduced an AI shopping assistant in ChatGPT, offering product recommendations and price comparisons. Voice mode was integrated into the main chat interface, eliminating the need for a separate screen. Group chat functionality became available to all users, including those on the free tier.

Legal issues emerged: a Munich court ruled that ChatGPT violated German copyright law by reproducing song lyrics. OpenAI also faced lawsuits from families alleging the chatbot contributed to suicides, and the company refuted claims linking ChatGPT to a teen's death.

Business Growth

OpenAI announced that over 1 million businesses globally now use its products, including companies like Amgen, Booking.com, and Cisco. The company also began exploring the consumer health market with AI-powered personal health assistants.

October 2025

Expanding Capabilities

OpenAI launched ChatGPT Atlas, an AI browser that lets users search the web directly through ChatGPT. The company also introduced a 'company knowledge' feature for business users to search workplace data across Slack, Google Drive, and GitHub. Partnerships with Walmart allowed users to browse products and make purchases within ChatGPT.

Developer and User Growth

Developers gained the ability to build interactive apps inside ChatGPT, with early partners like Booking.com and Spotify. ChatGPT surpassed 800 million weekly active users, up from 500 million in March. OpenAI also expanded its budget-friendly ChatGPT Go plan to 16 Asian countries.

September 2025

Personalization and Shopping

OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Pulse, a feature that delivers personalized morning briefings to Pro users. Instant Checkout launched for U.S. users, allowing direct purchases from Etsy and Shopify merchants within ChatGPT. Parental controls were added following a teen suicide case.

Coding and Model Updates

OpenAI rolled out GPT-5-Codex, an AI coding agent capable of working on tasks from seconds to seven hours. The company also reshuffled its Model Behavior team and released a budget-friendly ChatGPT Go plan in Indonesia for Rp 75,000 per month.

August 2025

GPT-5 Launch and Open Source

OpenAI released GPT-5, a next-gen AI model featuring Auto, Fast, and Thinking modes. The company also unveiled its first open-source language models since GPT-2, including gpt-oss-120b and gpt-oss-20b. ChatGPT reached 700 million weekly active users, quadrupling growth in a year.

Legal and Regulatory Actions

xAI filed a lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI alleging collusion. OpenAI offered ChatGPT Enterprise to federal agencies for $1 for the next year as part of a push into government workflows. The company also strengthened safeguards after a teen suicide lawsuit.

July 2025

Study Mode and Agent Launch

OpenAI introduced Study Mode, a feature that encourages critical thinking by prompting students to engage with material. A general-purpose ChatGPT Agent was launched, capable of navigating calendars, drafting presentations, running code, and shopping online. ChatGPT hit 2.5 billion prompts daily.

Safety and Delays

CEO Sam Altman warned that ChatGPT therapy isn't confidential. A Stanford study highlighted risks of AI therapy chatbots stigmatizing mental health conditions. OpenAI delayed the release of its open-weight model for additional safety testing.

June 2025

Hardware and Model Upgrades

OpenAI began using Google's AI chips to power ChatGPT. The company launched o3-pro, an enhanced reasoning model, and upgraded Advanced Voice Mode for all paid users. New features for business users included meeting recording and connectors for Google Drive and Box.

Usage and Energy

ChatGPT was downloaded 30 million times in the last 28 days of June. An MIT study suggested that ChatGPT might harm critical thinking skills. Sam Altman revealed that an average ChatGPT query uses the energy equivalent to powering a lightbulb for a few minutes.

May 2025

New Models and Personalization

OpenAI released GPT-4.1 and GPT-4.1 mini in ChatGPT, focusing on coding. The company introduced its AI coding agent Codex, powered by codex-1. Sam Altman expressed a goal to make ChatGPT more personalized by tracking every aspect of a person's life.

Infrastructure and Enterprise

OpenAI launched a data residency program in Asia and announced the 'OpenAI for Countries' program to develop local AI infrastructure. The company also promised to fix sycophancy issues after an update made ChatGPT overly agreeable.

April 2025

Model Releases and Safety

OpenAI released reasoning models o3 and o4-mini, capable of web browsing and image processing. The company launched GPT-4.1 for coding, discontinued GPT-4 in ChatGPT, and introduced Flex processing for cheaper API tasks. A new system was implemented to monitor models for biological and chemical threats.

Social Media and Image Generation

OpenAI began building its own social media network. ChatGPT users generated over 700 million images since the upgraded image generator launched in March. The company offered ChatGPT Plus free to U.S. and Canadian college students through May.

March 2025

Image Generation and Policy Changes

OpenAI removed restrictions on image generation, allowing public figures and hateful symbols (within guidelines). The viral Studio Ghibli-style images raised copyright concerns. The company adopted Anthropic's Model Context Protocol for linking AI models with data.

Leadership and Growth

Brad Lightcap took on expanded responsibilities for global expansion. OpenAI expected revenue to triple to $12.7 billion in 2025. ChatGPT's weekly active users doubled to 400 million by February, driven by new models and features.

February 2025

Model Strategy and New Tools

OpenAI canceled its o3 model in favor of a unified GPT-5 release. The company launched a 'deep research' agent for complex research tasks. ChatGPT web search became available without login. OpenAI also revealed more of its o3-mini model's thought process in response to pressure from rivals like DeepSeek.

January 2025

Reasoning Models and Government Plans

OpenAI launched o3-mini, a new reasoning model, and introduced ChatGPT Gov for U.S. government agencies. The company tested AI persuasion using a subreddit and launched Operator, an AI agent that performs tasks autonomously. New features included task scheduling and customizable traits.

Source:TechCrunch News