ChatGPT model picker returns as GPT-5 rollout faces user feedback

OpenAI recently launched GPT-5, promising a simplified ChatGPT experience that would act as a unified AI model. The company intended GPT-5 to include a model router capable of deciding the best AI response for any user query automatically. OpenAI expected this approach to remove the need for a model picker, a menu of AI options that CEO Sam Altman has publicly criticised for being cumbersome.

Despite these expectations, GPT-5 has not fully delivered a unified solution. Altman announced that the model picker has returned, now offering new settings called Auto, Fast, and Thinking.