OpenAI Set to Release a New Open Model: First Since Groundbreaking GPT-2

Since the introduction of the o3 and o4-mini models in April, OpenAI has been relatively quiet regarding major announcements. However, recent weeks have seen the company behind ChatGPT busy behind the scenes. Alongside the development of an AI-powered web browser announced this Thursday, July 10, 2025, by the news agency Reuters, and the upcoming GPT-5, plans are also underway to release an open model, as reported by The Verge. This marks the first such release since 2019 when the California-based company was still a non-profit organization.

Similar to o3-mini and Available Next Week?

For the first time since GPT-2, and critically since signing an exclusivity agreement with Microsoft in 2023, the AI lab led by Sam Altman is set to publish an open model that can be modified or run locally by communities, businesses, or even individuals. Its release could be imminent, possibly occurring next week, according to The Verge, quoting sources familiar with the matter.

Described by the American media as “similar to o3-mini” and “equipped with the reasoning capabilities that have characterized recent OpenAI models”, this language model will be available on Microsoft Azure, Hugging Face, and other cloud providers. However, it will not be entirely open-source, clarifies The Verge. “It will depend on the license used and OpenAI’s willingness to provide full access to the model’s code and training data, which would allow other researchers to fully replicate it,” the report adds.

A Return to Roots for OpenAI

Since the release of GPT-3, OpenAI had concentrated on developing proprietary models distributed via its API. It is now preparing to revert to open models, thereby competing with companies like Meta, Mistral AI, or Google, which already offer such models to research and developer communities. As early as next week, Sam Altman might fulfill a promise made last March 31, when he stated on X: “We have been considering [publishing an open model] for a long time, but other priorities took precedence. Now, it seems important to proceed.”