OpenAI released its new version GPT-5.2 (a couple of days later than planned) and ChatGPT 5.2 was released in tandem. The new model arrives relatively soon after ChatGPT-5.1, but while the latest update sought to restore the charm and personality that many considered missing in ChatGPT-5, the latest update focuses on more ascetic goals.
OpenAI presents GPT‑5.2 as a model that can be better explained, work more reliably, and handle long, complicated, and even confusing tasks. But OpenAI knows that the average person doesn’t care about benchmark charts or academic articles boasting about the new model’s abilities. For this reason, the company encourages people to think about major technical improvements as a gateway to everyday usefulness. Like its predecessor, ChatGPT-5.2 comes in three versions that increase in size and potential capacity: Instant, Thinking, and Pro.
As generative AI has gone from an experimental novelty to an everyday habit, people rely on ChatGPT for all kinds of academic and professional needs, including many that no one at OpenAI had imagined. ChatGPT‑5.2 is designed to handle that weight, so here’s what you should know about the latest experience.
GPT-5.2 is here! Available today on ChatGPT and API. It is the smartest model available in the world and is particularly good at performing real-world knowledge work tasks.December 11, 2025
1. Think clearly
OpenAI showed evidence showing that GPT-5.2 performs at or above the level of human experts on a wide range of tasks involving large amounts of information, a first for OpenAI models. In the GDPval assessment, which evaluates 44 different categories of professional work, from finance to law to consulting, GPT-5.2 Thinking outperforms or ties top professionals in nearly three-quarters of tasks such as making spreadsheets and presentations, as well as more complex analysis.
The most significant change is the model’s ability to coordinate multi-step reasoning. GPT‑5.2 Thinking can take a complicated question, break it down into parts, plan the route through the problem, and offer an answer that reflects a coherent chain of thought. It’s not just about predicting the next plausible sentence, but the next plausible multi-day project.
You might notice it come into play when ChatGPT explains a concept more clearly than you expect, or stays on track during a long conversation, or simply when it offers step-by-step logic that actually stays coherent.
Larger memory
The clearest thought relates to the memory upgrade that GPT-5.2 offers. OpenAI says GPT‑5.2 Thinking achieves near-perfect accuracy by tracking information across hundreds of thousands of words. You can drop an entire project portfolio, lengthy report, legal contract, scientific paper, or lengthy transcripts into ChatGPT, and instead of losing track halfway through, the model now keeps track of the details and treats everything as if it were interconnected.
If you’re a student, you can upload multiple readings and ask for a comparative analysis, or feed in financial reports for a small business and ask for trends or strategy suggestions. The model can handle the type of multi-file context that overwhelmed previous versions.
The memory upgrade also extends to your vision. ChatGPT-5.2 is much better for understanding charts, diagrams, and software. You can also better distinguish details in blurry or complex images. Longer memory isn’t the main feature that people are generally excited about, but it could be a big factor in how people feel about ChatGPT-5.2.
More reliable
The third defining improvement of ChatGPT‑5.2 is reliability. Hallucinations are much rarer with GPT-5.2 than GPT-5.1, decreasing by 30%, according to OpenAI. Errors still occur, but you don’t need to spend as much time reviewing and correcting them.
Improved reliability is also evident in the way you use the tools. OpenAI cited an example of a messy customer service scenario involving a delayed flight, missed connections, an unexpected overnight stay, and requests for medical seats. GPT‑5.2 successfully rebooked the traveler with the correct seat and got them compensation, while GPT‑5.1 failed midway.
A ChatGPT model that is less likely to veer off course during a chat is a model that people will like and trust more, but OpenAI also set out to make GPT-5.2 more reliable as a secure conversation partner. ChatGPT‑5.2 will respond more appropriately when discussing topics such as mental health and emotional turmoil, with better, more supportive suggestions.
ChatGPT-5.2 will be gradually rolled out to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Go, Business, and Enterprise subscriptions, and access to GPT-5.1 will end in three months for anyone who uses AI tools heavily. The latter model likely seems long overdue as an AI conversation partner that can better mimic thoughtfulness. ChatGPT-5.2 isn’t flashy, but people who want an AI that thinks as carefully as it speaks will probably be satisfied.
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