Four Months, Three GPT-5 Models: OpenAI's Version Number Inflation Problem

OpenAI released GPT-5.2 on December 11, 2025 — exactly 993 days after we thought GPT-4 was the pinnacle of AI achievement.

That's the third major model iteration in four months. GPT-5 livestreamed in August, 5.1 hit APIs in November, and now 5.2 is here before anyone figured out what the hell 5.1 actually improved. This isn't iterative development anymore — it's version number inflation that would make Oracle proud.

The Speed Run Nobody Asked For

Let's map this madness: GPT-4.5 launched February 27, GPT-5 on August 7, GPT-5.1 by November 18, and GPT-5.2 on December 11. That's five major releases in ten months. At this pace, we'll hit GPT-7 before anyone writes a decent evaluation framework for GPT-5.

The Hacker News thread exploded to 1127 points and 993 comments, which tells you everything about our collective FOMO. We're refreshing OpenAI's docs like teenagers checking Instagram.

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A forum post notes users must disable adblockers and tracking blocks for feature access, hinting at rollout gating.

Ah yes, nothing says "revolutionary AI breakthrough" like please turn off your privacy protection to access our features. Very 2025 of them.

What Nobody Is Talking About

The real story isn't GPT-5.2's capabilities — it's that GPT-5.1 was basically a bug fix release. Remember GPT-5's mandatory "reasoning" mode that developers hated? Fixed in 5.1 with a simple `"reasoning": false` toggle by November 28.

That's right. OpenAI shipped a broken model in August, took three months to add an off switch, then immediately started hyping the next version. This is starting to feel less like cutting-edge research and more like JavaScript framework churn.

GPT-5 Pro still doesn't have proper API access despite launching August 13. Developers are paying "exuberant pricing" for a model they can barely integrate. Meanwhile, OpenAI's already three versions ahead, promising GPT-5.2-mini is "coming soon."

The Treadmill Accelerates

This release cadence screams desperation more than innovation. When xAI's Grok and Meta's Llama are breathing down your neck, apparently the solution is to increment version numbers faster than anyone can benchmark them.

The community reaction shows we're all complicit in this madness. Forums buzzing with requests for 5.2-mini before anyone's stress-tested 5.2. We're treating AI models like iPhone releases — must have the latest number, regardless of actual improvements.

OpenAI's system card will undoubtedly detail impressive safety evaluations and benchmark improvements. But here's the cynical truth: if you need to release three "major" versions in four months, maybe the first two weren't as groundbreaking as advertised.

The Real Competition

While we're dizzy from version numbers, the actual race is happening elsewhere:

• Anthropic ships fewer models but each one actually matters
• Google's Gemini updates focus on real capability jumps
• Meta open-sources Llama and lets the community do the iterating

OpenAI's approach feels increasingly like a SaaS company desperate to show growth metrics. Rapid releases generate headlines, API adoption, and ChatGPT Plus subscriptions. Whether they generate better AI is secondary.

The 993 comments on that Hacker News thread probably contain more useful analysis than OpenAI's marketing copy. But we'll keep refreshing their docs anyway, waiting for GPT-5.3 to drop next month.

Because that's definitely happening.