OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shifts focus to GPT-6 after the rocky rollout of GPT-5

After the rocky rollout of GPT-5, Sam Altman is trying to shift the narrative by focusing on GPT-6. While it took two and a half years to move from GPT-4 to GPT-5, OpenAI now wants to ship GPT-6 on a faster timeline. Altman says the big breakthrough will be memory: the next model should remember user preferences, habits, ideologies, and even tone of voice.

For now, ChatGPT remains OpenAI's main product for consumers. But Altman sees limits to how much further chat-based AI can go. "They won't get much better—maybe even worse," he told CNBC.

OpenAI's bet beyond chatbots is on agentic systems that can perform complex tasks over long periods of time. These systems aren't necessarily better small talkers, which is likely what Altman is getting at.