OpenAI working on new AI model called Garlic as Google steps up its AI game

OpenAI is reportedly developing a new large language model codenamed Garlic as the company pushes to strengthen its position in the fast-moving artificial intelligence industry, according to a report from The Information. The project is likely a part of OpenAI’s effort to keep pace with strong advances from competitors, especially Google.

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Mark Chen, OpenAI’s chief research officer, reportedly shared details about Garlic with some employees last week. Internal tests show that the model is performing well compared to Google’s Gemini 3 and Anthropic’s Opus 4.5, particularly in coding and reasoning tasks.

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The company is expected to release an early version of the model as soon as possible. It could arrive as GPT-5.2 or GPT-5.5, with a potential launch in early 2026.

Also read: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declares code red as Google, Anthropic and other rivals moving ahead in AI race: Report

The news comes at a time when OpenAI is said to be entering what CEO Sam Altman has described as a “code red” period. According to reports from The Wall Street Journal and The Information, Altman told employees that the company needs to urgently focus on improving ChatGPT as competition increases. 

In an internal memo, Altman said that several upcoming projects will be paused so teams can concentrate fully on upgrades to ChatGPT. These paused projects reportedly include new advertising tools, health-focused and shopping-focused AI agents, and a personal assistant called Pulse. Instead, OpenAI is expected to prioritise improvements to ChatGPT’s speed, accuracy, reliability, and personalisation.

Also read: Apple hires Google and Microsoft veteran as new vice president of AI as John Giannandrea steps down

To push things forward more quickly, the company will reportedly hold daily check-ins for teams working on the upgrades. Employees are also being encouraged to temporarily join these groups to help move development along faster.

Also read: Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold is finally here: Camera, display, battery and all other specs

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Ayushi Jain

Ayushi works as Chief Copy Editor at Digit, covering everything from breaking tech news to in-depth smartphone reviews. Prior to Digit, she was part of the editorial team at IANS. View Full Profile