OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has issued an internal “code red” alert, acknowledging that ChatGPT is losing ground to rival AI models, particularly Google’s Gemini 3. The urgency comes as competition in the rapidly evolving AI chatbot market intensifies.
Gemini 3 Outperforms ChatGPT in Key Benchmarks
Google recently released Gemini 3, which has demonstrably surpassed ChatGPT in multiple performance tests. The model achieved a record score on the “Humanity’s Last Exam,” a rigorous test designed to gauge artificial superintelligence capabilities. Gemini 3 also received praise for its advanced reasoning skills and the popular Nano Banana image generator.
Industry Leaders Acknowledge Gemini’s Superiority
The shift in performance is not just statistical; industry leaders are publicly acknowledging Gemini’s superior capabilities. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff stated he had switched from ChatGPT to Gemini 3 after just two hours of use, calling the leap in quality “insane.” Even Altman publicly congratulated Google on the release, while privately warning OpenAI employees that ChatGPT “has some work to do” to catch up.
OpenAI Responds to Increased Pressure
In an internal memo leaked to The Information and The Wall Street Journal, Altman urged employees to prioritize improvements to ChatGPT’s quality. OpenAI’s head of ChatGPT, Nick Turley, also addressed the rising competition in a series of posts on X, framing it as a positive driver for innovation.
“New products are launching every week, which is great – it pushes us to move faster and keep raising the bar for what an AI assistant can do.”
The Stakes of AI Dominance
The race between OpenAI and Google highlights the high stakes of AI dominance. The winner in this competition will likely set the standard for how businesses and consumers interact with artificial intelligence for years to come. As AI models continue to advance, the pressure to innovate and improve will only increase.
OpenAI has not yet commented on the leaked memo, but the internal messaging makes it clear that the company is taking the threat seriously. The future of AI assistants hangs in the balance as both OpenAI and Google push to deliver the most capable and user-friendly technology.
