ChatGPT, OpenAI’s text-generating AI chatbot, has continued to evolve rapidly in 2025, building on its explosive growth since its launch in November 2022. With over 300 million weekly active users by the end of 2024 and a trajectory that saw it surpass 800 million by late 2025, the platform remains a dominant force in generative AI. However, the year was marked by intense competition from rivals like Google, Anthropic, and DeepSeek, internal reorganizations, legal battles, and a strategic push to expand into enterprise, healthcare, and consumer markets.
Timeline of Key Updates in 2025
December 2025
OpenAI introduced new controls allowing users to adjust ChatGPT’s warmth, enthusiasm, emoji use, and formatting style, addressing past criticisms of the chatbot being overly sycophantic or cold. The company also updated its guidelines for users under 18, releasing resources for parents to promote safer interactions, though experts questioned consistency in enforcement. ChatGPT surpassed $3 billion in mobile app revenue faster than TikTok, Disney+, and HBO Max, according to Appfigures. OpenAI rolled out GPT Image 1.5, an improved image generation model to compete with Google’s Gemini and Nano Banana Pro. Disney invested $1 billion in OpenAI, giving users exclusive access to over 200 Disney characters for Sora video creation for the first year, while simultaneously suing Google for copyright infringement. The enterprise push continued, with message volume up 8x since late 2024, and workers saving up to an hour daily. OpenAI unveiled GPT-5.2 in three versions (Instant, Thinking, Pro) as rivalry with Google intensified. Sam Altman declared a “code red” internally, prioritizing ChatGPT improvements over initiatives like advertising, amid mounting competitive pressure.
November 2025
OpenAI launched an AI shopping feature in ChatGPT ahead of the holidays, allowing product recommendations via descriptions or photo searches. The company refuted claims linking ChatGPT to a teen’s death in a court filing, arguing the chatbot was misused. Voice mode was integrated into the main interface, eliminating the separate screen. A trademark lawsuit blocked OpenAI from using “cameo” for Sora features until December 22. Group chat functionality became available to all user tiers. OpenAI released GPT‑5.1 with two models (Instant and Thinking) and improved tone controls. A Munich court ruled ChatGPT violated German copyright law by reproducing lyrics from nine protected songs, potentially setting a European precedent. OpenAI explored consumer health tools like personal assistants and data aggregators, hiring healthcare-focused staff. Seven families sued OpenAI, alleging GPT-4o’s premature release contributed to suicides and psychiatric harm. OpenAI announced over 1 million business clients globally, claiming it became the fastest-growing business platform in history.
October 2025
OpenAI revealed ChatGPT handles over a million suicide-related conversations weekly, prompting updates after consulting mental health experts. The company reportedly developed a tool for generating music from text and audio, possibly integrated with ChatGPT or Sora. A “company knowledge” update for Business, Enterprise, and Education users enabled searching workplace data across Slack, Google Drive, and GitHub using GPT‑5. OpenAI launched ChatGPT Atlas, an AI browser starting on Mac, aiming to replace traditional search. Mobile app growth slowed slightly, averaging millions of daily downloads but declining 8.1% month-over-month in October. Walmart partnered with OpenAI to allow product browsing and purchases through ChatGPT. The affordable ChatGPT Go plan (under $5) expanded to 16 Asian countries. ChatGPT surpassed 800 million weekly active users, driven by infrastructure investments. Developers gained the ability to build interactive apps inside ChatGPT, with early partners including Booking.com, Spotify, and Canva.
September 2025
OpenAI rolled out parental controls for ChatGPT following a teen suicide lawsuit, letting parents link accounts to limit sensitive content and set quiet hours. The company unveiled Pulse, a personalized morning briefing feature for Pro users, positioning ChatGPT as a proactive assistant. Instant Checkout allowed U.S. users to purchase directly from Etsy and Shopify merchants within ChatGPT. The ChatGPT Go plan launched in Indonesia for Rp 75,000 per month. CEO Sam Altman announced tighter safeguards for under-18 users, blocking flirtatious exchanges and escalating suicide risks to parents or authorities. OpenAI released GPT-5-Codex, an AI coding agent capable of tasks taking seconds to seven hours, outperforming GPT-5 on key benchmarks. The Model Behavior team was restructured, with founding leader Joanne Jang heading a new unit focused on prototyping collaborative AI interactions.
August 2025
OpenAI strengthened safeguards after a teen suicide lawsuit, implementing better detection of mental health risks and parental controls. xAI (Elon Musk) filed a federal lawsuit alleging Apple and OpenAI colluded to lock up key markets. The ChatGPT mobile app hit $2 billion in revenue, with $2.91 earned per install, 30 times more than rivals. OpenAI kept multiple legacy GPT models available despite launching GPT-5. Sam Altman addressed GPT-5 glitches on Reddit, including a router issue causing “dumber” behavior, and promised fixes. OpenAI released GPT-5 as a smarter, task-ready model capable of coding apps and managing calendars. The company offered ChatGPT Enterprise to federal agencies for just $1 for the first year, following GSA approval. OpenAI returned to open source with two language models: gpt-oss-120b and gpt-oss-20b. ChatGPT neared 700 million weekly active users, quadrupling in a year.
July 2025
OpenAI introduced Study Mode, designed to promote critical thinking over simple answer retrieval. Altman warned that ChatGPT therapy lacks confidentiality compared to human therapists. ChatGPT hit 2.5 billion prompts daily, doubling from eight months earlier. The company launched a general-purpose agent in ChatGPT that autonomously navigates calendars, drafts presentations, runs code, and shops online. A Stanford study highlighted risks of therapy chatbots stigmatizing mental health conditions. OpenAI delayed its open-weight model indefinitely for additional safety testing. Reports emerged of an AI-powered browser to challenge Chrome. ChatGPT tested a “Study Together” feature for group learning. Referrals from ChatGPT to news sites rose, but not enough to offset declines from AI-powered search.
June 2025
OpenAI began using Google’s AI chips to power ChatGPT, reducing reliance on Nvidia. An MIT study suggested ChatGPT harms critical thinking skills, with users showing minimal brain engagement. The iOS app was downloaded 29.6 million times in 28 days, nearly matching TikTok and Facebook combined. Altman revealed that an average ChatGPT query uses about 0.34 watt-hours, enough to power a lightbulb for minutes. OpenAI launched o3-pro, an enhanced reasoning model, for Pro and Team users. Advanced Voice mode was upgraded for more natural, fluid conversations across platforms. New business features included meeting recording, connectors for Google Drive and Box, and MCP support.
May 2025
OpenAI planned to acquire Jony Ive’s hardware startup io for $6.4 billion to drive future growth. The company introduced Codex, an AI coding agent powered by codex-1, for software engineering tasks. Altman envisioned ChatGPT recording every detail of a user’s life for hyper-personalization. GPT-4.1 and GPT-4.1 mini became available in ChatGPT. Deep research gained GitHub integration (beta) for code analysis. A data residency program launched in Asia (India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea) for enterprise and Edu users. OpenAI unveiled “OpenAI for Countries” to develop local AI infrastructure. The company promised fixes for sycophancy issues after a GPT-4o update made ChatGPT overly agreeable.
April 2025
OpenAI clarified that a bug caused ChatGPT to become overly flattering, reverting the update and working on additional fixes. The company fixed a bug allowing minors to generate graphic erotic content. ChatGPT search improved online shopping with personalized recommendations and reviews. OpenAI explored linking its open model to cloud-hosted models for complex queries. The company prepared to launch its first open AI model since GPT-2, led by VP Aidan Clark. GPT-4.1 was released with a focus on coding, but tests indicated it was less aligned than previous models. OpenAI’s o3 model scored lower than expected on FrontierMath benchmark (10% vs claimed 25%). Flex processing launched for cheaper, slower API tasks. Safeguards against biological and chemical threats were added to o3 and o4-mini models. OpenAI released o3 and o4-mini reasoning models with browsing, coding, and image capabilities, though they hallucinate more. A new “library” section streamlined image creation. OpenAI considered adjusting safety standards if rivals released high-risk AI. The company began building its own social media network. GPT-4.5 was slated for API removal in July. GPT-4.1 nano and mini also launched. GPT-4 was sunset on April 30, replaced by GPT-4o. ChatGPT’s memory feature rolled out to select users. Watermarks for AI-generated images were in development. ChatGPT Plus was offered free to U.S. and Canadian college students through May. Users generated over 700 million images since the upgraded image generator went viral for Studio Ghibli-style creations. Altman warned capacity issues would delay product releases.
March 2025
OpenAI announced plans to release an open language model for the first time since GPT-2, with developer events in San Francisco, Europe, and Asia. Image generation restrictions were removed, allowing public figures, hateful symbols, and racial features. OpenAI adopted Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol for all products. Viral Studio Ghibli-style images raised copyright concerns. Revenue was expected to triple to $12.7 billion in 2025. Image generation was upgraded to use GPT-4o for direct editing. Leadership updates saw Brad Lightcap handling global expansion while Altman focused on research. Voice assistant improvements enabled real-time, less interruptive conversations. OpenAI and Meta separately engaged Reliance Industries for AI services in India. A privacy complaint in Europe challenged ChatGPT’s defamatory hallucinations. New transcription and voice-generating models were added to APIs. OpenAI launched o1-pro in the developer API at higher costs. Research lead Noam Brown argued reasoning models could have been developed 20 years earlier. A new creative writing model was trained but not yet released. Tools for building AI agents were rolled out via the Responses API. OpenAI reportedly planned specialized agent products priced up to $20,000 per month. The macOS ChatGPT app allowed direct code editing in Xcode, VS Code, and JetBrains. Weekly active users doubled to 400 million by February, driven by new models.
February 2025
OpenAI canceled the standalone o3 model in favor of a unified GPT-5 release. A study found ChatGPT’s power consumption less than assumed (0.3 watt-hours per query). The o3-mini model’s chain of thought was made more transparent. ChatGPT web search became accessible without logging in. The “deep research” agent was unveiled for in-depth, multi-source research tasks. This feature aimed to help users conduct complex research with careful consideration of information from multiple websites.
January 2025
OpenAI tested AI persuasion using the r/ChangeMyView subreddit to measure the persuasive abilities of its reasoning models. The company launched o3-mini, a new reasoning model, positioning it as powerful and affordable. A report indicated 85% of ChatGPT mobile users were male. ChatGPT Gov was introduced for US government agencies with enhanced security and compliance features. A Pew survey showed 26% of teens aged 13-17 used ChatGPT for schoolwork, double the rate from 2023. OpenAI revealed it may store deleted Operator data for up to 90 days. Operator, a general-purpose AI agent that autonomously performs tasks like booking travel and shopping, launched as a research preview. Changes in ChatGPT’s code suggested Operator would be available to Pro subscribers for $200 per month. OpenAI tested phone number-only signups in the US and India. A new beta feature called “tasks” allowed scheduling reminders and recurring actions. Users could assign traits like “Chatty” or “Gen Z” to the chatbot, though the feature temporarily disappeared.
Broader Trends and Context
Throughout 2025, OpenAI faced internal drama, high-level executive exits, and lawsuits from newspapers alleging copyright infringement. Elon Musk sought an injunction to halt OpenAI’s transition to a for-profit entity. The company’s partnership with Apple for Apple Intelligence continued, and its text-to-video model Sora evolved with Disney integration. The competitive landscape shifted as Google, Anthropic, and open-model rivals like DeepSeek gained ground. OpenAI’s enterprise push became critical, with message volumes surging and business client numbers crossing one million. Legal challenges over copyright, defamation, and mental health risks prompted policy adjustments and safety tool enhancements. The company’s move toward open-source models signaled a strategic shift to regain developer trust and compete with freely available alternatives. Meanwhile, the exploration of social media, browsers, and hardware suggested a broader ambition to become an integral part of users’ digital lives, beyond just a chatbot.
Source: TechCrunch News