OpenAI has launched GPT-5.5, a new model that’s built for heavy-lifting tasks like coding, research, document creation, and navigating between apps. The key upgrade? It gets what you want faster, needs fewer prompts, uses tools more smoothly, and double-checks its own work until it’s done. Think of it as a more autonomous, reliable digital assistant for complex jobs. Safety is front and center: the model went through rigorous evaluations, including red-teaming for advanced cybersecurity and biology risks, with input from nearly 200 early users. OpenAI says GPT-5.5 comes with its strongest safeguards yet, designed to cut down misuse while still letting people tap into its advanced abilities. There’s also a Pro version that uses extra test-time compute for even trickier tasks, and it’s been separately vetted where needed. Why it matters: This release signals a shift toward AI that can handle messy, real-world workflows autonomously, pushing the boundaries of what we can trust a model to do without constant human hand-holding.