In one sentence
GPT-5 was released in August 2025 and redefined what we expect from an AI chatbot. More powerful, faster, more creative than GPT-4, it natively integrates Sora (video), DALL-E 3 (image), Whisper (voice), Canvas (collaborative editing), and Agents (autonomous actions). But behind the marketing, what does it actually do? We tested everything.
🥊 Want to compare GPT-5 with Claude and Gemini?
We've made a detailed comparison of the 3 dominant AI chatbots in 2026.
The GPT timeline: where are we?
The evolution of GPT (OpenAI)
GPT-1
First model (117M parameters). Proves it works, but unusable in practice.
GPT-2
1.5B parameters. First fears: 'AI will generate fake news'. OpenAI hesitates to release it.
GPT-3
175B parameters. First shock: we can really converse. Birth of prompt engineering.
GPT-3.5 (ChatGPT)
The general public discovers AI. 100M users in 2 months. Global revolution.
GPT-4
Major leap in reasoning. Multimodal (image). Becomes usable for professional work.
GPT-4o
Native multimodal (real-time voice). Natural voice mode.
o1, o3 (reasoning)
Models specialized in reasoning. Math, code, sciences.
GPT-5
Unification of all capabilities. Integrated agents. Video (Sora). The 2026 standard.
GPT-5.5?
Incremental improvements expected. No major leap before 2027.
What GPT-5 does BETTER than GPT-4
The 8 flagship capabilities of GPT-5
📚Complete tour of GPT-5 features in 2026
1. 🧠 Multi-step reasoning (Reasoning Mode)
GPT-5 inherited the o1/o3 system: it thinks before answering. For complex problems (math, code, strategy), it generates an internal chain-of-thought.
Use case: "Design me a pricing strategy for my B2B SaaS in 5 steps." → GPT-5 will analyze, compare, justify, not just spit out text.
Limitation: 2-10x slower than normal mode. Reserved for tasks that deserve it.
2. 💻 Code (truly) production-ready
71% on SWE-Bench (= it solves 71% of real bugs in open-source projects). That's huge vs 50% for GPT-4.
Concrete use cases:
- Generate a full-stack app (Next.js + Postgres + auth) in 1 prompt
- Multi-file refactoring while maintaining consistency
- Debug complex bugs with stack trace
Limitation: still inferior to Claude Opus 4.7 (78%) on this benchmark.
3. 🎬 AI Video (Sora integrated)
ChatGPT Plus includes limited Sora (60 videos/month). ChatGPT Pro = unlimited.
Use case: "Generate me a 10s video of a woman drinking coffee in Paris at sunset, close-up shot." → Video in 5 min.
Limitation: 60 seconds max, hands sometimes weird, no sound (must add with Whisper or ElevenLabs).
4. 🎨 Native images (DALL-E 3)
Image generation integrated into the conversation. You can edit an image (change a detail, the style).
Use case: rapid prototyping, blog illustrations, design mockups.
Limitation: not as good as Midjourney v8 on photorealistic quality, but more convenient because integrated.
5. 🎙️ Voice mode (real conversation)
You speak, GPT-5 responds in real-time, with natural voice, intonations. You can interrupt, it resumes. Like talking to a human.
Use case: driving assistant, brainstorming while walking, language learning.
Limitation: it hears you too well sometimes (interrupts if you hesitate too much).
6. 📝 Canvas (collaborative editing)
Instead of having a wall of text, Canvas gives you an editable document where the AI and you collaborate. Select a sentence → "rewrite this shorter" → targeted modification.
Use case: writing long articles, code review, legal contracts.
Killer feature: you can request inline suggestions (like Google Docs).
7. 🤖 Agents (autonomous actions)
GPT-5 can execute actions: browse the web, fill forms, make purchases, send emails (with your approval).
Use case: "Book me an Uber for 7 PM to Gare du Nord." → the agent opens Uber, configures the booking, asks for your validation.
Limitation: still slow (1-5 min for a simple task), sometimes blocked by CAPTCHAs, risky on financial actions.
8. 📊 Custom GPTs (specialized assistants)
You create your own GPT with custom instructions, personal files, APIs. 1M+ public Custom GPTs.
Examples:
- "Accounting GPT" trained on your accounting
- "Marketing GPT" with your brand
- "Recipe GPT" with your food preferences
What GPT-5 does NOT do well
How to use it like a PRO
GPT-5 vs competitors: which to choose?
GPT-5 facing the competition
| 🥊Criterion | 🏆The best | |
|---|---|---|
| General versatility | GPT-5 ★★★★★ / Claude ★★★★★ / Gemini ★★★★ | GPT-5 (slight lead) |
| Complex code | GPT-5 71% / Claude 78% / Gemini 65% | Claude Opus 4.7 |
| Writing / French style | GPT-5 ★★★ / Claude ★★★★★ / Gemini ★★★★ | Claude |
| Multimodal (video, image, voice) | GPT-5 ★★★★★ / Claude ★★ / Gemini ★★★★★ | GPT-5 (Sora integrated) |
| Long context (entire book) | GPT-5 400K / Claude 500K / Gemini 1M | Gemini (1M tokens) |
| Standard monthly price | GPT-5 Plus £20 / Claude Pro £20 / Gemini Pro £23 | Tie |
| Ecosystem (plugins, GPTs) | ChatGPT massive / Claude limited / Gemini ★★★ | GPT-5 / ChatGPT |
| Voice mode | GPT-5 ★★★★★ (advanced voice mode) | GPT-5 |
TL;DR:
- GPT-5 = the all-rounder with the best ecosystem
- Claude = for writing and coding
- Gemini = for very long contexts and Google integration
→ The real pro uses all 3 depending on tasks.
Should you get Plus (£20) or Pro (£200)?
What comes after GPT-5
The metaphor that sums it all up
Absolutely remember
- ✅ GPT-5 released August 2025, the 2026 standard
- ✅ +25% reasoning, +40% code, -40% hallucinations vs GPT-4
- ✅ Sora video, DALL-E images, Whisper voice, Canvas, Agents integrated
- ✅ Real limitations: still hallucinations, bad at physics, costly in API
- ✅ TAGE method for optimized prompts
- ✅ Plus £20 enough for 90% of users; Pro £200 for intensive pros
- ✅ To combine with Claude (code/writing) and Gemini (long context)
GPT-5 is the most used AI in the world in 2026 (700M active users). If you haven't started using it seriously yet, start this week.
What performance leap does GPT-5 show vs GPT-4 on the code benchmark (SWE-Bench)?
To go further
- 🥊 ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini, detailed comparison of the 3 leaders
- 💰 To pay or not for an AI?, free or Pro, we decide
- 🤖 AI Agents: the next revolution : GPT-5 agents