OpenAI is pushing one of its biggest updates to ChatGPT in recent months, introducing GPT-5.2 at a time when the AI ​​race is heating up once again. The company has been under pressure since Google’s Gemini 3 came out to strong reviews, and the latest model appears to be OpenAI’s response to that growing competition. The new version aims to make ChatGPT not only more accurate, but also more useful in everyday work, from creating spreadsheets to writing complex code. And while the model itself is in the spotlight today, another big change coming early next year is getting equal attention: an “Adult Mode” that’s specifically for verified adults.

GPT-5.2 is being released with faster speed and stronger logic

OpenAI says GPT-5.2 is faster, more capable of finding information and better at tasks that require deeper reasoning. The company has redesigned the model to handle longer, more detailed workloads in subjects like math, science and programming. In short, OpenAI wants ChatGPT to feel less like a chatbot and more like a trusted work partner. The update comes in three tiers, each tuned for different levels of computational power and cost.

The launch comes as Google’s Gemini 3 heats up competition

The launch also reflects the high-risk environment within OpenAI. A few weeks ago, CEO Sam Altman reportedly told employees that the company was in “Code Red” status and needed an internal reset to match Google’s progress. This urgency echoes Google’s own Code Red moment in 2022, on the heels of ChatGPIT becoming a global phenomenon. With GPT-5.2 now ready for rollout, Altman says he expects the company to stabilize itself by January and get back to a “very strong position.” He also said in an interview that “Gemini 3 has had less impact on our metrics than we feared,” suggesting confidence in the direction of the new model.

Business-focused upgrades for enterprises

The company is committed to massive infrastructure expansion, which is estimated to cross $1 trillion. It is up to business customers to support that growth. GPT-5.2 is set to help with exactly that, as OpenAI says the model can “unlock even greater economic value for people,” especially for tasks that involve automation, data analysis, and repetitive tasks. Paid users will start receiving the update from today.

Like previous versions, GPT-5.2 comes on the heels of the last few releases. GPT-5 arrived in August and generated mixed reactions, with some users feeling the leap was not as big as expected. The follow-up, GPT-5.1, launched in November, but didn’t get much time to stand out before Google’s Gemini 3 started the conversation.

Adult mode set to launch in early 2026

Along with the model upgrade, OpenAI is also preparing a major change in how ChatGPT handles adult audiences. The company has already begun deploying age-prediction tools to identify whether a user is a minor. The move is significant as OpenAI wants to introduce new experiences specifically for adults, something Altman has been openly hinting at for months. According to OpenAI’s applications CEO Fidji Simo, the company plans to launch “adult mode” in the first quarter of 2026. In their words, this will follow the company’s philosophy of “treating adult users like adults.”

Age-gating enables OpenAI to “treat adult users like adults”

Altman previously explained the reasoning behind this change in an October 2025 post. He wrote: “We have made ChatGPT restrictive enough to ensure that we are mindful of mental health issues. Now that we have been able to reduce serious mental health issues and we have new tools, we are going to be able to safely relax restrictions in most cases in December, as we enforce age-gating more fully and as part of our ‘treat adult users like adults’ principle, we Will allow more like erotica. Verified adults.”