ChatGPT in 2025: Expert Perspectives on Strengths, Risks, and the Path Ahead

ChatGPT’s o1 model has significantly improved reasoning performance, making it a valuable tool for analytical and complex problem-solving tasks.

Its multimodal capabilities and growing user base signal widespread adoption across industries, but it still lags behind human experts in specialized fields.

Concerns persist around mental health use, misinformation, and the potential for cyber misuse due to the model’s advanced linguistic abilities.

With superintelligence on the horizon, experts stress the urgent need for ethical oversight and responsible integration into society.

Reasoning Power: The “o1” Model Shifts the Game

OpenAI’s December 2024 release of the o1 model introduced a pivotal upgrade to ChatGPT’s reasoning capabilities. Unlike earlier models that prioritized speed, o1 is deliberately slower and more thoughtful—excelling in logic-heavy tasks. It scored 83% on an International Mathematics Olympiad qualifying exam, compared to GPT-4o’s 13%, clearly positioning itself as the model of choice for competitive reasoning, scientific problem-solving, and analytical applications.

For industries requiring complex decision frameworks—such as quantitative finance, engineering simulations, and policy modeling—ChatGPT o1 is a compelling alternative to traditional knowledge workers.

Multimodality and Natural Interfaces

May 2024's GPT-4o introduced multimodal features that allow ChatGPT to process and produce text, images, and audio. This update marked a significant milestone toward “natural interface AI,” where users communicate via speech, visuals, and text in real time.

Practical implications are substantial:

• In design, it enables image critique and generation through natural language.

• In customer support, it handles voice calls with emotional nuance.

• In accessibility tech, it supports visually impaired users by describing images aloud or helping them interpret visual data.

User Growth and Market Adoption

Weekly active users doubled from 200 million in August 2024 to 400 million by February 2025. This surge is driven by enterprise integrations, educational adoption, and personal productivity use cases.

Organizations are embedding ChatGPT into internal tools, CRM platforms, and compliance workflows. Educational institutions are experimenting with it as a digital tutor. For individual users, ChatGPT has become a default interface for writing, coding, and decision support.

Domain Expertise: Still an Achilles’ Heel

Despite high scores in logic, ChatGPT still trails human professionals in domain-specific reliability. A 2024 study comparing GPT-4o with medical experts in gastroenterology found that ChatGPT scored 76%, behind fellows (80%) and attending physicians (86.66%).

In legal, medical, and compliance-critical environments, this gap is non-trivial. The model may articulate answers persuasively but lacks the contextual rigor, updated case laws, or professional skepticism inherent to human specialists.

AI as Therapist? Emotional Intelligence in Question

Young users increasingly turn to ChatGPT for mental health guidance due to long NHS waitlists and digital convenience. However, therapists warn against this trend.

AI lacks empathic resonance—the emotional feedback loop necessary for relational healing. Billie Dunlevy, a licensed therapist, observes that ChatGPT might reinforce self-absorption by simply reflecting user thoughts without challenge or vulnerability.

While helpful for journaling or structuring thought patterns, ChatGPT remains inadequate for authentic therapeutic interaction.

Security and Misuse Concerns

The cognitive leap introduced by o1 has drawn attention from cybersecurity experts. With its enhanced capacity for logical manipulation and language mimicry, ChatGPT could be exploited for advanced phishing, fraud schemes, or social engineering attacks.

Cybercrime professionals are being advised to monitor AI-assisted threats as they shift from generic spam to context-aware, personalized scams.

Public Trust and Political Use

A 2024 Pew Research study reported that 38% of Americans do not trust ChatGPT as a source of information for the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Misinformation risks, model biases, and the challenge of provenance continue to erode public trust in AI-generated content.

Election boards and regulators are now discussing AI disclosure mandates and watermarking requirements to ensure transparency in political discourse.

Superintelligence on the Horizon?

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently suggested that ChatGPT could reach superintelligence “within a few thousand days.” The remark reignited debate on AI governance, existential risk, and workforce implications.

Whether superintelligence is 8 years away or 80, the exponential trend line suggests a narrowing window for meaningful oversight. Institutions are now challenged to prepare not just for incremental automation—but for a scenario where AI becomes a generative force in its own right.

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ChatGPT’s trajectory in 2025 is defined by extremes: breathtaking utility and sobering risk. For every leap in logic and interface design, there’s an ethical, professional, or social counterweight that demands scrutiny.