ChatGPT should seem “smarter and more accurate” starting today, according to OpenAI. In fact, the company is replacing the default model with an update called GPT-5.5 Instant. OpenAI also says the model upgrade reduces “gratuitous emojis” in responses.
GPT-5.5 Instant is the new default ChatGPT template
GPT-5.5 Instant arrives on May 5 (5/5), which is two months since the last upgrade to GPT-5.3 Instant on March 3.
While the previous version of the Instant template promised to make ChatGPT less grindy, the new version focuses on precision and conciseness.
OpenAI specifically calls for moving away from excessive emoji use:
With this update, model responses are tighter and more precise without losing substance, while still retaining the warmth and personality that makes ChatGPT a joy to use. It can provide the same information, often with more utility than previous models, while reducing the verbosity and over-formatting that can make responses too long. It also asks fewer unnecessary follow-up questions and avoids things that can make answers cluttered, like gratuitous emojis.
Critically, OpenAI claims that the improved model is also more accurate with fewer hallucinations or made-up facts in the responses:
The snapshot is now more reliable, with significant improvements in factality at all levels and the biggest gains in areas where precision matters most. In internal evaluations, GPT-5.5 Instant produced 52.5% fewer wild claims than GPT-5.3 Instant on high-stakes prompts covering areas such as medicine, law and finance. It also reduced inaccurate claims about particularly difficult conversations that users had flagged for factual errors by 37.3%.
GPT-5.5 Instant replaces GPT-5.3 Instant and the rollout will take place for all users starting today. Paid users will continue to have access to GPT-5.3 Instant for three months.
Last month, OpenAI improved ChatGPT and Codex with the release of GPT-5.5 Thinking and Pro, two models it calls “a new class of intelligence for real work.”
You can learn more about the latest in OpenAI’s new default ChatGPT model here.
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