GPT-5 and Agents Breakdown – w/ OpenAI Researchers Isa Fulford & Christina Kim

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Aug 8, 2025

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In this engaging discussion, Isa Fulford and Christina Kim, both researchers at OpenAI, detail the groundbreaking features of GPT-5, enhancing reasoning, coding, and creative writing. They dive into the innovations in AI agent workflows, emphasizing the significance of data quality and training techniques. Additionally, they reflect on the impact of GPT-5 on startups and the AI ecosystem. Sarah Wang, a16z General Partner, adds a unique perspective on investment in AI, making this a must-listen for anyone curious about the future of artificial intelligence.

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00:00 / 00:00

GPT-5's Enhanced Utility

GPT-5 is significantly more useful across diverse tasks people actually use ChatGPT for.
Christina Kim highlights major improvements in coding, creative writing, and overall utility for users.

00:00 / 00:00

Balanced Model Behavior

GPT-5's behavior was intentionally designed to balance helpfulness with avoiding excessive sycophancy.
Models now pause to think step-by-step, reducing hallucinations and deceptive answers.

00:00 / 00:00

Accessible Pricing Empowers Startups

Offering GPT-5 at accessible price points will unlock many new use cases and startups.
The improved capabilities combined with pricing empower more developers and non-technical users.

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ChatGPT-5 just launched, marking a major milestone for OpenAI and the entire AI ecosystem.

Fresh off the live stream, Erik Torenberg was joined in the studio by three people who played key roles in making this model a reality:

Christina Kim, Researcher at OpenAI, who leads the core models team on post-training
Isa Fulford, Researcher at OpenAI, who leads deep research and the ChatGPT agent team on post-training
Sarah Wang, General Partner at a16z, who helped lead our investment in OpenAI since 2021

They discuss what’s actually new in ChatGPT-5—from major leaps in reasoning, coding, and creative writing to meaningful improvements in trustworthiness, behavior, and post-training techniques.

We also discuss:

How GPT-5 was trained, including RL environments and why data quality matters more than ever
The shift toward agentic workflows—what “agents” really are, why async matters, and how it’s empowering a new golden age of the “ideas guy”
What GPT-5 means for builders, startups, and the broader AI ecosystem going forward

Whether you're an AI researcher, founder, or curious user, this is the deep-dive conversation you won't want to miss.

Timecodes:

0:00 ChatGPT Origins

1:57 Model Capabilities & Coding Improvements

4:00 Model Behaviors & Sycophancy

6:15 Usage, Pricing & Startup Opportunities

8:03 Broader Impact & AGI Discourse

16:56 Creative Writing & Model Progress

32:37 Training, Data & Reflections

36:21 Company Growth & Culture

41:39 Closing Thoughts & Mission

Resources

Find Christina on X: https://x.com/christinahkim

Find Isa on X: https://x.com/isafulf

Find Sarah on X: https://x.com/sarahdingwang

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