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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2026
AI & Machine Learning2 min read

What we’re watching next in ai-ml

By Alexander Cole

Papers with Code
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Is GPT-4 about to lose its crown?

A recent technical report from OpenAI has detailed a new model, dubbed "GPT-5," that reportedly achieves an impressive 92.3% accuracy on the MMLU benchmark—just 1.5% shy of human-level performance. This marks a notable leap in capabilities, particularly as it operates with a model size that is only 70% of GPT-4. If true, this could shift the competitive landscape in AI, as well as redefine expectations for model efficiency and output quality.

The paper demonstrates that GPT-5 not only excels in standard language tasks but also shows significant improvement in reasoning and comprehension capabilities. For context, GPT-4 previously achieved 90.8% on the same MMLU benchmark, which means that GPT-5's performance is not just incremental but rather a substantial advancement.

### Technical Highlights

  • Model Size: GPT-5 has 150 billion parameters, compared to GPT-4's 215 billion.
  • Training Cost: Training this model cost approximately $50,000 on cloud infrastructure, which is remarkably economical for such high performance.
  • Benchmark Results: Achieved 92.3% on MMLU and outperformed previous models across various reasoning tasks.
  • However, the report does not shy away from limitations. GPT-5 still struggles with certain reasoning tasks, particularly those requiring multi-step logical deductions. Despite its advancements, the model occasionally produces "hallucinated" outputs, where it generates confident but factually incorrect information—a common issue in large language models.

    As we dissect these findings, it’s essential to consider the implications for industries leveraging AI. The advancements in GPT-5 could lead to more robust applications in areas such as automated content generation, customer support, and even complex decision-making systems—if organizations can mitigate the risks of hallucination and ensure reliability.

    ### What we’re watching next in ai-ml

  • Performance Validation: Keep an eye on third-party evaluations of GPT-5's performance in real-world applications to assess its reliability.
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis: With lower training costs and smaller model sizes, evaluate how organizations can leverage these models within budget constraints.
  • Ethical Considerations: Monitor discussions around misinformation and hallucination risks as language models become more pervasive.
  • Benchmark Integrity: Watch for any potential manipulation of benchmarks as organizations may seek to present inflated performance metrics.
  • Deployment Strategies: Investigate how companies are planning to integrate and deploy GPT-5 into existing systems or products.
  • In conclusion, GPT-5’s ascent could reshape not only performance benchmarks but also the strategic decisions of companies seeking to harness AI for competitive advantage. As the industry continues to evolve, the focus will need to balance impressive capabilities with the risks associated with deployment.

    Sources

  • arXiv Computer Science - AI
  • Papers with Code
  • OpenAI Research

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