Key Highlights:
- GPT-5.5 was reportedly spotted in the Codex model picker for some users.
- Developers say it shows improvements in coding, speed, and token efficiency.
- Sam Altman activity on X is fueling speculation about an imminent release.
- The model could launch today, April 23, 2026, though there is no official confirmation yet.
OpenAI has been launching its in-house AI models one after another this week. But someone who uses ChatGPT and Codex to boost their productivity are eagerly waiting for the release of GPT-5.5. As of now, the company hasn’t announced the model, nor do we have a release date for GPT-5.5 on our hands. However, given the activity on Polymarket, considering a recent leak, and Altman’s exchange with developers on X, it seems GPT-5.5 might not be far away. In fact, GPT-5.5 could release today.
GPT-5.5 fresh leak hints at imminent release
We are backing this claim given that GPT-5.5 surfaced inside Codex. The upcoming model was reportedly spotted in the model picker for some Pro users. Not just GPT-5.5, but many unreleased models, like oai-2.1, “arcanine,” and several glacier-alpha were spotted.
Many developers were quick to test the leaked model and shared their early impressions on XGPT-5.5 in model picker. Some users pointed towards GPT-5.5’s solid capability to fix coding issues, while some noted improvements in speed and token efficiency. As of now, OpenAI has been mum about GPT-5.5’s release date or the model for that matter. But Sam Altman is doing every bit on X to tease the imminent release of GPT-5.5.
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Altman’s frequency activity on X fuels release speculation
In one instance, Sam Altman replied to a developer who appeared to be complaining about growing competition between AI platforms. Altman noted, “come to the light side.” That’s not all, Altman responded with a salute emoji to one user who posted about making a switch if OpenAI releases GPT-5.5 or GPT-5.6 this week.
In the past, we have seen Altman interacting with users on X when a model release is near. And, given the pattern of Thursday releases for most GPT-5 models, we are expecting the latest one to drop today. That’s also because Anthropic already has launched Claude Opus 4.7, which reportedly beats GPT-5.4 on agentic coding benchmarks. So, it’s highly likely that an improved model, most likely GPT-5.5, is on its way. If we hear anything official coming from OpenAI, we’ll be updating you in a separate article.
