GPT-5.2 Release Official; OpenAI Claims It Beats Human Experts

The official GPT-5.2 release has arrived, and OpenAI isn’t being subtle about its capabilities. Launching today, the company’s latest flagship model comes attached with a massive claim: it doesn’t just chat, it actively outperforms human professionals at their own jobs.

This update introduces three new model variants—GPT-5.2 Instant, Thinking, and Pro—along with a massive 256k context window. If you rely on ChatGPT for professional workflows, the GPT-5.2 release is arguably the most significant update since the launch of GPT-4.

A Code Red Moment for OpenAI

If this release feels surprisingly aggressive, there is a reason for that. As I covered in my previous article, Sam Altman reportedly declared an internal “Code Red” at OpenAI in early December following the launch of Google’s Gemini 3.

Facing intense pressure from Gemini’s rapid growth—and public defections from high-profile users like Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff—Altman directed teams to pause non-essential projects like “Pulse” and advertising tools. The goal was singular: refocus everything on shipping a model that could decisively retake the lead. GPT-5.2 is the result of that scramble.

GPT-5.2 Release Features: Beating the “GDPval” Benchmark

The headline feature here isn’t a technical specification; it’s a new benchmark called GDPval.

OpenAI created this metric specifically to test the model against real-world “knowledge work” tasks across 44 different occupations. These aren’t abstract riddles or coding tests; they include practical deliverables like creating sales presentations, building complex accounting spreadsheets, and managing project schedules.

The results of the GPT-5.2 release are aggressive. OpenAI claims the model “beats or ties” top industry professionals on 70.9% of these tasks. Furthermore, the company states it accomplishes this work at roughly 11x the speed of a human expert, a stat that is sure to make waves in the enterprise world.

Key Upgrades in this Release

Beyond the flashy benchmarks, this update brings several practical improvements designed to smooth out your daily workflow.

• “Thinking” Mode: This new mode is built specifically for deep research and complex problem-solving. While it takes slightly more time to process than the standard model, it delivers significantly higher accuracy for nuanced prompts.
• Massive Memory: The model now supports a 256k token context window. This means you can finally upload entire books, massive codebases, or long legal contracts without the AI “forgetting” the beginning of the document halfway through your session.
• Fewer Hallucinations: Accuracy is critical for business users, and OpenAI states that the GPT-5.2 release reduces hallucinations by 30% compared to its predecessor, GPT-5.1.

A Coding Powerhouse

Developers are getting a major upgrade with this release as well. The model scored 80% on the SWE-bench Verified test, which creates a standard for measuring software engineering capabilities.

Early enterprise testers like Shopify and Databricks report that the model can now act as a “mega-agent.” It is reportedly capable of handling over 20 different tools simultaneously to debug code, build front-end UIs, and manage complex multi-step workflows without getting confused.

GPT-5.2 Release Availability

You won’t have to wait to put these claims to the test.

• ChatGPT: The new models are rolling out today (December 11) to Plus, Pro, and Enterprise users.
• API: Developers can access the model via the API immediately.

GPT-5.2 hasn’t hit my account just yet, but you can expect a full review as soon as possible after it does.