On the finish of 2022, OpenAI launched ChatGPT and opened up an easy-to-access interface to giant language fashions (LLMs) for the primary time. The uptake was stratospheric.
For the reason that explosive launch, ChatGPT hasn’t proven indicators of slowing down in creating new options or sustaining worldwide person curiosity. As of September 2025, ChatGPT now has a reported 700 million weekly lively customers and tons of of plugins.
The next is a timeline of all key occasions for the reason that launch as much as October 2025.
Historical past Of ChatGPT: A Timeline Of Developments
June 16, 2016 – OpenAI printed analysis on generative fashions, educated by gathering an enormous quantity of knowledge in a selected area, similar to photos, sentences, or sounds, after which instructing the mannequin to generate related knowledge. (OpenAI)
Sept. 19, 2019 – OpenAI printed analysis on fine-tuning the GPT-2 language mannequin with human preferences and suggestions. (OpenAI)
Jan. 27, 2022 – OpenAI printed analysis on InstructGPT fashions, siblings of ChatGPT, that present improved instruction-following means, decreased fabrication of information, and decreased poisonous output. (OpenAI)
Nov. 30, 2022 – OpenAI launched ChatGPT utilizing GPT-3.5 as part of a free analysis preview. (OpenAI)
Feb. 1, 2023 – OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Plus, a premium subscription possibility for ChatGPT customers providing much less downtime and entry to new options.
Screenshot from ChatGPT, February 2023Feb. 2, 2023 – ChatGPT reached 100 million customers sooner than TikTok, which made the milestone in 9 months, and Instagram, which made it in two and a half years. (Reuters)
Feb. 7, 2023 – Microsoft introduced ChatGPT-powered options have been coming to Bing.
Feb. 22, 2023 – Microsoft launched AI-powered Bing chat for preview on cell.
March 1, 2023 – OpenAI launched the ChatGPT API for builders to combine ChatGPT performance of their purposes. Early adopters included Snapchat’s My AI, Quizlet Q-Chat, Instacart, and Store by Shopify.
March 14, 2023 – OpenAI releases GPT-4 in ChatGPT and Bing, which guarantees higher reliability, creativity, and problem-solving abilities.
Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023March 14, 2023 – Anthropic launched Claude, its ChatGPT various.
March 20, 2023 – A serious ChatGPT outage impacts all customers for a number of hours.
March 21, 2023 – Google launched Bard, its ChatGPT various. (Rebranded to Gemini in February 2024.)
March 23, 2023 – OpenAI started rolling out ChatGPT plugin help, together with Looking and Code Interpreter.
March 31, 2023 – Italy banned ChatGPT for gathering private knowledge and missing age verification throughout registration for a system that may produce dangerous content material.
April 25, 2023 – OpenAI added new ChatGPT knowledge controls that permit customers to decide on which conversations OpenAI consists of in coaching knowledge for future GPT fashions.
April 28, 2023 – The Italian Garante launched a press release that OpenAI met its calls for and that the ChatGPT service may resume in Italy.
April 29, 2023 – OpenAI launched ChatGPT plugins, GPT-3.5 with shopping, and GPT-4 with shopping in ALPHA.
Screenshot from ChatGPT, April 2023Could 12, 2023 – ChatGPT Plus customers can now entry over 200 ChatGPT plugins. (Open AI)
Screenshot from ChatGPT, Could 2023Could 16, 2023 – OpenAI CEO Sam Altman seems in a Senate subcommittee listening to on the Oversight of AI, the place he discusses the necessity for AI regulation that doesn’t sluggish innovation.
Could 18, 2023 – OpenAI launched the ChatGPT iOS app, permitting customers to entry GPT-3.5 at no cost. ChatGPT Plus customers can swap between GPT-3.5 and GPT-4.
Screenshot from ChatGPT, Could 2023Could 23, 2023 – Microsoft introduced that Bing would energy ChatGPT internet shopping.
Screenshot from ChatGPT, Could 2023Could 24, 2023 – Pew Analysis Heart launched knowledge from a ChatGPT utilization survey exhibiting that solely 59% of American adults learn about ChatGPT, whereas solely 14% have tried it.
Could 25, 2023 – OpenAI, Inc. launched a program to award ten $100,000 grants to researchers to develop a democratic system for figuring out AI guidelines. (OpenAI)
July 3, 2023 – ChatGPT’s explosive progress reveals a decline in visitors for the primary time since launch. (Similarweb)
July 20, 2023 – OpenAI launched customized directions for ChatGPT, permitting customers to personalize their interplay expertise. (OpenAI)
Aug. 28, 2023 – OpenAI launched ChatGPT Enterprise, calling it “essentially the most highly effective model of ChatGPT but.” Advantages included enterprise-level safety and limitless utilization of GPT-4. (OpenAI)
Nov. 6, 2023 – OpenAI introduced the arrival of customized GPTs, which enabled customers to construct their very own customized GPT variations utilizing particular abilities, information, and many others. (OpenAI)
Jan. 10, 2024 – With the launch of the GPT Retailer, ChatGPT customers may uncover and use different folks’s customized GPTs. On this present day, OpenAI additionally launched ChatGPT Staff, a collaborative instrument for the workspace. (OpenAI)
Jan. 25, 2024 – OpenAI launched new embedding fashions: the text-embedding-3-small mannequin, and a bigger and extra highly effective text-embedding-3-large mannequin. (OpenAI)
Feb. 8, 2024 – Google’s Bard rebranded to Gemini. (Google – Gemini launch notes)
April 9, 2024 – OpenAI introduced that it could discontinue ChatGPT plugins in favor of customized GPTs. (Open AI Group Discussion board)
Could 13, 2024 – A giant day for OpenAI, when the corporate launched the GPT-4o mannequin, providing enhanced intelligence and extra options at no cost customers. (OpenAI)
July 25, 2024 – OpenAI launched SearchGPT, an AI-powered search prototype designed to reply person queries with direct solutions. Replace: Components from this prototype have been rolled into ChatGPT and made obtainable to all areas on Feb. 5, 2025. (OpenAI)
Aug. 29, 2024 – ChatGPT reaches 200 million weekly lively customers. (Reuters)
Sept. 12, 2024 – OpenAI unveiled the GPT o1 mannequin, which it claims “can purpose like a human.”
Oct. 31, 2024 – OpenAI pronounces ChatGPT Search. It turned obtainable to logged-in customers beginning Dec. 16, 2024, and on Feb. 5, 2025, it was rolled out to be obtainable for all ChatGPT customers wherever ChatGPT is out there. (OpenAI)
Screenshot from ChatGPT, September 2025Jan. 31, 2025 – OpenAI releases o3-mini (smaller reasoning mannequin; first within the o3 household). (Open AI)
April 16, 2025 – OpenAI introduces o3 and o4-mini (quick, cost-efficient reasoning; sturdy AIME efficiency). (OpenAI)
June 10, 2025 – o3-pro is made obtainable to Professional customers in each ChatGPT and API. (OpenAI)
Aug. 4, 2025 – ChatGPT approached 700 million weekly lively customers.
Screenshot from Nick Turley, VP and head of the ChatGPT app, X (Twitter) publish, September 2025Sept. 15, 2025 – A New OpenAI research reveals that it reached 700 million weekly lively customers and the way they use ChatGPT. (OpenAI)
Final replace: October 01, 2025
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Featured picture: Tada Photographs/Shutterstock
