The moment: a faster GPT meets a friendlier Hollywood

OpenAI capped the year with two headline moves on December 11, 2025: it launched GPT‑5.2, a notably stronger, more “agentic” AI model lineup for work, and announced a three‑year agreement with Disney that includes a $1 billion equity investment and a first‑of‑its‑kind license to bring more than 200 Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars characters to Sora, OpenAI’s short‑form video generator. The companies say a curated selection of fan‑prompted Sora videos will even stream on Disney+. OpenAI, OpenAI (Disney agreement), AP via Washington Post, Reuters.

Conceptual split-screen: GPT-5.2 powering spreadsheet and slide creation while Sora renders a cinematic, IP-friendly scene inspired by space-fantasy and animation silhouettes

What’s new in GPT‑5.2

OpenAI positions GPT‑5.2 as its “most capable” model series for professional knowledge work, improving long‑context reasoning, tool use, coding, and multimodal perception. It ships in three tiers—Instant, Thinking, and Pro—and begins rolling out to paid ChatGPT plans immediately, with API variants named gpt-5.2-chat-latest, gpt-5.2, and gpt-5.2-pro. Developers also get a new xhigh “reasoning effort” for the Pro tier. OpenAI.

GPT‑5.2 lineup at a glance

TierWhat it optimizesGood forAvailability
InstantSpeed + clarityEveryday writing, translation, how‑tosChatGPT, API (gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
ThinkingDeeper reasoningLong docs, coding, planning, complex Q&AChatGPT, API (gpt-5.2)
ProHighest qualityHard questions, strategic analysis, premium agentsChatGPT, API (gpt-5.2-pro)

Under the hood, OpenAI reports sizable benchmark gains: on GDPval (a suite of well‑specified knowledge‑work tasks), GPT‑5.2 Thinking wins or ties 70.9% of the time; it also posts 55.6% on SWE‑Bench Pro (software engineering) and strong long‑context retrieval accuracy up to 256k tokens in internal evaluations. Prices list at $1.75 per million input tokens and $14 per million output tokens for gpt‑5.2, with higher Pro pricing and discounted cached inputs. OpenAI.

Availability across tools you already use

  • ChatGPT: Rolling out GPT‑5.2 Instant, Thinking, and Pro to paid plans (Plus, Pro, Go, Business, Enterprise) as of December 11, 2025. OpenAI.
  • Microsoft 365 Copilot: Microsoft says GPT‑5.2 is now selectable in Copilot and Copilot Studio, with broader enterprise rollout in the coming weeks. Microsoft 365 Blog.
40–60 min
Average daily time saved with ChatGPT EnterpriseSource: openai-introducing-gpt-5-2-2025-12-11

Why this matters for automation

GPT‑5.2’s combination of longer context windows, stronger multi‑file reasoning, and sturdier tool‑calling is tailor‑made for “jobs to be done” workflows: generating well‑structured plans, building spreadsheet models from requirements, assembling slide decks with citations, and orchestrating multi‑step projects end‑to‑end. Early signals also point to reduced hallucinations versus GPT‑5.1, which, if sustained in production, can lower review overhead. OpenAI.

Disney’s $1B bet and a landmark Sora license

Disney will invest $1 billion in OpenAI and license a large catalog of characters—more than 200 across Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars—for Sora and ChatGPT Images, with usage expressly excluding talent likenesses and voices. A curated selection of user‑prompted Sora shorts will be streamable on Disney+. The companies frame the pact as a template for “responsible” AI use in entertainment; launch for the new IP features is targeted for early 2026. The agreement is subject to definitive documentation and corporate approvals. OpenAI (Disney agreement), AP/Washington Post, Reuters, TechCrunch.

This is Hollywood’s most visible embrace yet of licensed, rights‑aware generative tooling. Practically, it could normalize “co‑creation” between fans and IP owners—under strict guardrails—and open new, interactive content formats (think: fan‑prompted micro‑stories set in familiar worlds, with editorial curation).

The IP and safety backdrop

  • On the same day, Disney sent Google a cease‑and‑desist over alleged “massive” copyright infringement tied to its AI tools, underscoring the broader industry push to rein in unlicensed model outputs. AP/Washington Post, TechCrunch, Ars Technica.
  • Children’s advocates criticized the OpenAI–Disney tie‑up, arguing it could entice minors toward AI tools; OpenAI says Sora restricts use by children and is expanding age‑aware protections. AP/Washington Post, OpenAI.

Competitive pressure: Google’s Gemini 3 and the “code red” sprint

GPT‑5.2 arrives amid intense model‑race dynamics. Google’s Gemini 3 launched in November with strong human‑preference and coding scores and rapid enterprise availability via Vertex AI and Gemini Enterprise. Reuters reports OpenAI declared a short “code red” to refocus on core product quality ahead of the 5.2 launch. Google Cloud Blog, Google Blog, TechCrunch, Reuters, WIRED.

For teams choosing stacks, the message is less “winner‑takes‑all” and more “use the best model for the job.” The good news: GPT‑5.2 is already turning up in the tools many businesses use daily (e.g., Microsoft 365 Copilot), making comparative pilots easier. Microsoft 365 Blog.

What this means for automation and productivity

  • Stronger multi‑step agents: 5.2’s improved tool‑calling and long‑context retrieval make it better at orchestrating multi‑file projects—producing spreadsheets with live formulas, narrative decks with citations, or drafting product specs that stay consistent across attachments. OpenAI.
  • Video creation enters the enterprise stack: A rights‑cleared pipeline for fan‑prompted shorts (via Sora + Disney) hints at future internal uses—training content, brand‑safe marketing snippets, or interactive storytelling—if license scopes expand to business contexts. OpenAI (Disney agreement).
  • Safety and governance step forward: OpenAI highlights fewer undesirable responses in sensitive domains and signals more robust age‑based protections—relevant for regulated industries and youth‑facing brands. OpenAI.

Open questions we’ll be watching

  • Independent evals: How do third‑party tests corroborate OpenAI’s GDPval and long‑context claims? OpenAI.
  • Costs at scale: Token prices are up versus 5.1; does improved token efficiency deliver a lower cost‑per‑task in production? OpenAI.
  • Creative labor and licensing norms: Will the Disney–OpenAI model catalyze more rights‑managed, revenue‑sharing frameworks—or drive new pushback from guilds and advocacy groups? AP/Washington Post, The Guardian.
  • Policy and “adult mode”: OpenAI signaled an over‑18 “adult mode” is coming in early 2026, contingent on better age prediction—how will that intersect with regional regulations? The Verge.

Sources