OpenAI has reportedly gone into a high-alert mode internally as competition in the AI space continues to heat up. According to recent reports, the company behind ChatGPT is currently working under an “all hands on deck” approach, internally referred to as a Red Alert. This push for faster execution was announced by CEO Sam Altman earlier this month, mainly in response to growing pressure from rivals like Google, which recently launched its Gemini 3 AI model.
Why OpenAI is speeding things up
Google’s Gemini 3 has gained attention quickly and is said to perform better than ChatGPT on several key benchmarks. This raised concerns at OpenAI about how the new model could affect user adoption, enterprise interest, and public perception in the short term. To respond faster, Sam Altman asked teams to move quickly and accelerate upcoming launches.
Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of applications, explained to CNBC that the Red Alert was meant to help the company focus better. The idea was to shift people and resources toward the most important priorities, especially ChatGPT, while slowing down work on less urgent projects. She also clarified that the recent product launch was not rushed only because of this internal alert.
What leadership is saying
Sam Altman has said that the situation was not driven only by Gemini 3. Internally, OpenAI reportedly saw less impact from Google’s launch than initially expected. Still, Altman believes it is important to respond quickly in a highly competitive market. He added that this high-pressure work mode is likely to continue until January.
GPT-5.2 launched during this phase
One major outcome of this faster pace is the early release of GPT-5.2, which OpenAI launched last week. The company is positioning it as its strongest model so far for everyday professional use. GPT-5.2 brings noticeable improvements in tasks like making spreadsheets, creating presentations, understanding images, fixing code, and handling complex instructions.
What happens next
The Red Alert period is not just about one model release. Over the next few weeks, OpenAI plans to stay heavily focused on improving ChatGPT’s reliability and performance. This includes moving more engineers, researchers, and computing power toward the core product, while temporarily putting other projects on hold. The goal is clear: strengthen ChatGPT as competition in the AI market becomes more intense.
