GPT-5 Deep Dive: What It Can (and Can't) Do Yet
Super Simple Summary
GPT-5 is finally here and it's a serious upgrade. From multimodal magic to smarter reasoning and fewer hallucinations, here's a beginner-friendly look at what makes this model so powerful.
Welcome aboard, Explorer! Today we’re charting a course through GPT-5 what it is, how it compares to earlier GPT models, the cool stuff it can do, where it shines, and where it still says “uhhh… let me try that again.” This is a fun, beginner-friendly tour with zero jargon jump scares. Ready? Punch it! 🚀
What Is GPT-5? (The 30-Second Version)
If GPT-3 felt like a clever college student and GPT-4 like a solid grad, GPT-5 feels like a friendly expert who can also sketch, code, and sing you the summary. It’s still a large language model a pattern-spotting system trained on lots of data but it’s better at staying on topic, reasoning through multi-step tasks, and juggling longer conversations.
Think of GPT-5 as a Swiss-Army AI: one handle, many tools.
Core Capabilities (In Human English)
🧠 Reasoning & Planning
GPT-5 is better at breaking problems into steps. Ask for a trip plan, a learning path, or a multi-stage project, and it can structure it cleanly—then adapt as you iterate.
🖼️ Multimodal
It can talk about images you share and produce voice responses (where enabled). Show it a screenshot, a chart, or a photo, and ask, “What am I looking at?” It’ll describe, compare, and suggest next steps.
💻 Coding Sidekick
From “explain this error” to “build a simple React app,” GPT-5 is a strong co-pilot. It can scaffold projects, refactor functions, and write tests. You still review the code (you’re the captain), but it speeds up the boring bits.
🗂️ Long-Form Focus
GPT-5 can hold onto much more context. Bring long briefs, multi-message chats, or big docs it’ll keep track without dropping the plot.
🌍 Multilingual
Better at switching languages and keeping tone. Ask for translation and localization tips (e.g., cultural phrasing), and it’ll try to keep the vibe intact.
✍️ Writing & Editing
Blog posts, emails, summaries, outlines, scripts. GPT-5 can draft with the tone you want (playful, professional, poetic, you name it). You steer; it rows.
Where GPT-5 Shines (Strengths You’ll Actually Feel)
- Complex tasks feel lighter: plans, multi-step prompts, research breakdowns.
- Fewer detours: more coherent answers over long chats.
- Better “style memory”: it can hold your tone and formatting across sections.
- Coding feels less scary: from “make it work” to “make it clean.”
- Creative flow: brainstorming names, hooks, angles, and outlines gets fast and fun.
Real-World Uses (Copy These)
✍️ Writing Buddy
- Draft a blog outline → expand section by section → ask for punchier intros.
- Turn meeting notes into a recap email with action items.
- Rephrase in different styles: “friendly,” “formal,” “teacher to 12-year-old.”
Handy prompt:
You are my writing partner. Help me draft a 1,200-word blog post for tech-curious readers.
Tone: friendly, playful, clear.
Structure: hook, intro, 5 main sections with subheads, conclusion + call-to-action.
Please ask 3 clarifying questions before drafting.
💻 Dev Helper
- “Explain this stack trace like I’m new.”
- “Refactor this function for readability and add JSDoc comments.”
- “Generate unit tests for these edge cases.”
Handy prompt:
You're my senior dev buddy. I’ll paste code.
1) Explain what's happening.
2) Point out risks or bugs.
3) Suggest a cleaner version.
4) Provide tests.
Keep answers concise.
🧪 Study & Summarize
- Feed it a long article; ask for bullet-point takeaways, a 1-paragraph summary, and 3 discussion questions.
- “Explain this concept in 2 levels: beginner and intermediate.”
🌍 Translate & Localize
- “Translate to Dutch with casual tone; note phrases that might feel too direct.”
- “Give me 3 regional variations of the headline for EU audiences.”
🧭 Planning & Productivity
- Turn a messy to-do list into a time-boxed schedule.
- Create a week-long learning plan with daily micro-tasks.
Where GPT-5 Still Trips (Limitations to Keep in Mind)
- Hallucinations: It can still make things up. For anything important, verify.
- Overconfidence: It may sound sure when it’s not. Ask it to show steps or cite sources.
- Not a human: No lived experience or true common sense—just very skilled pattern-matching.
- Ethics & safety: It has guardrails, but you’re responsible for how you use outputs.
- Freshness: It won’t magically know info beyond its knowledge unless tools/browsing are enabled.
Pro tip: Add this safety line to serious prompts:
If you're not confident, say so. Ask clarifying questions before answering.
List assumptions you made.
Until then, stay curious and keep exploring.
– André Barnard, AI Explorer
Enjoyed the post? Share it!
Help others discover this content