OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has declared a “code red” situation to accelerate enhancements to ChatGPT, redirecting internal resources and pausing work on other projects, according to sources familiar with the matter. In a memo sent on Monday, Altman called for a “surge” of efforts to improve ChatGPT and instructed staff to temporarily delay progress on initiatives such as autonomous AI agents and advertising, the Information reported. While specific priorities were not detailed, Altman recently warned employees that Google’s AI resurgence could create short-term economic challenges for OpenAI.
The move highlights the fierce competition among AI developers as they aim to prove the profitability of billions invested in the sector. Google’s Gemini 3, released last month, has been praised for its reasoning, coding, and niche-task capabilities, while OpenAI introduced its first AI-powered web browser in October. OpenAI has asked some employees to shift focus from other areas to ChatGPT, including participating in cross-team calls. Altman is also promoting temporary team transfers and daily calls to enhance the chatbot’s features, user experience, AI model behavior, and image-generation capabilities.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT recently reported 800 million weekly users, compared with Google Gemini’s 650 million. Meanwhile, rival Anthropic has launched an updated AI model aimed at automating coding and office tasks, intensifying competition in the AI market.
