OpenAI Drops Surprise ChatGPT Update! (Ep. 401)

Feb 18, 2025

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Today's episode covers OpenAI's stealth update to ChatGPT-4o. Sam Altman casually dropped the news on X, saying it's “pretty good” and “soon to be much better.”

But is it all good?

The team discusses what changed, what broke, and whether OpenAI should have given users more notice before rolling this out.

Key Points Discussed

🔴 ChatGPT-4o Surprise Update - OpenAI pushed a stealth update over the weekend with no prior announcement.

🟡 Updated Knowledge Cutoff - ChatGPT-4o now has data up to June 2024.

🟡 More Personality, More Creativity - Users report that the AI feels more conversational and thoughtful in responses.

🔴 Broken Custom GPTs - Many users, including Ethan Mollick, report that multi-step custom GPTs stopped functioning properly.

🟡 API vs. ChatGPT Interface - The API remains stable, but chat-based custom GPTs are impacted, raising concerns about OpenAI’s priorities.

🔴 Is OpenAI Trying to Replace Google? - Altman claims ChatGPT-4o now delivers “the best web search,” sparking debate with Perplexity’s CEO.

🟡 Comparison with Perplexity - ChatGPT now provides direct URLs in responses, but does it match Perplexity’s deep research capabilities?

🔴 Memory & Context Updates - ChatGPT can now reference previous conversations if prompted, but how reliable is this feature?

🟡 The Future of OpenAI’s Releases - Is this the new normal for updates? Should OpenAI give more warnings before changes roll out?

#ChatGPT4o #AIupdate #OpenAI #ArtificialIntelligence #ChatGPT #AIsearch #PerplexityAI #CustomGPTs #FutureOfAI

Timestamps & Topics

00:00:00 🎙️ [Intro: OpenAI’s Surprise ChatGPT-4o Update]

00:02:08 🛠️ [Sam Altman’s Casual Announcement & Immediate Reactions]

00:05:24 🤖 [Custom GPTs Are Breaking – Why?]

00:10:57 🔍 [ChatGPT-4o vs. Perplexity – Who Has the Better Search?]

00:18:59 💡 [Personality & Creativity Boost: Good or Annoying?]

00:24:30 📢 [Should OpenAI Give More Warning Before Updates?]

00:32:48 🧠 [ChatGPT’s New Memory Features – Does It Really Remember?]

00:42:49 🌎 [Is OpenAI Quietly Signaling a Shift to API-First Development?]

00:49:48 🚀 [Tomorrow’s Episode: Grok AI’s Big Reveal]

The Daily AI Show Co-Hosts: Andy Halliday, Beth Lyons, Brian Maucere, Eran Malloch, Jyunmi Hatcher, and Karl Yeh