By Ken Muthomi - Reporter
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United States, May 06, 2026 - OpenAI has announced a major upgrade to ChatGPT, introducing a new default model that it says is smarter than its predecessors.
The new model, GPT-5.5 Instant, which is said to be smarter, more accurate, clearer, and more concise in its answers, replaces the GPT-5.3 Instant.
The new model, according to the tech company, has reduced hallucinated claims by 52.5 percent in high-stakes areas such as medicine, law, and Finance. Furthermore, it lowers responses by 37.3 percent in complex conversations where users previously indicated that it had errors.
Because Instant is the daily driver for hundreds of millions of people, small improvements make a big difference. This update makes everyday interactions more useful and more enjoyable,” the company stated.
“Stronger and tighter answers across subject areas, a more natural conversational tone, and better use of the context you’ve already shared when personalization can help,” it added.
On the other hand, the newer model has made significant improvements in analysing photo and image uploads, answering STEM-related questions, and deciding when to use web search to provide more useful answers.
Even though the model’s responses will be tighter and more to the point without losing substance, the company has assured that users will still feel the “warmth and personality that makes ChatGPT enjoyable to use.”
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GPT-5.5 Instant has also been programmed to ask fewer unnecessary follow-up questions and avoid cluttered responses. OpenAI has also expanded the model’s ability to offer personalised responses depending on the users past conversations, uploaded files, and connected services such as Gmail.
To enhance transparency, the company has announced that it will also introduce ‘memory sources’, a feature that will allow users of all ChatGPT models to see the exact data that was used to personalise responses.
The company has, however, assured that the Memory sources will not be visible on shared chats, and users can also opt for temporary chats that do not use or store memory.
“Memory sources are designed to make personalization easier to understand, but they may not show every factor that shaped an answer. For example, it may show you some of the most relevant past chats in sources instead of all the past chats it searched and referenced,” OpenAI said.
GPT-5.5 Instant is rolling out immediately to all ChatGPT users globally, both in the app and via the API under “chat-latest.” For paid users, GPT‑5.3 Instant will remain available for three months before being retired.
Enhanced personalization from past chats, files, and connected Gmail is rolling out to Plus and Pro users on the web and coming soon to mobile, with plans underway to expand to Free, Go, Business, and Enterprise in the coming weeks.