OpenAI releases open source free model and GPT5.
What are the different versions of Microsoft Copilot?
What is GPT OSS? OpenAI’s new open source model.
Yesterday, OpenAI released something big: meet GPT‑OSS, a new, free-to-use, open-source family of language models packed with smarts and flexibility. It comes in two versions:
GPT‑OSS‑120b: A high‑powered model that performs on par with OpenAI’s closed “o4‑mini,” yet runs efficiently on a single high‑end GPU.
GPT‑OSS‑20b: A lighter model comparable to “o3‑mini,” but capable of running on devices with just 16 GB of memory, think high-end laptops or desktops.
Why It Matters for Businesses
1. You’re in control
These models come with open weights under an Apache 2.0 license, meaning you can download, fine-tune, and run them on your own systems. No API fees. No sending data to external servers.
2. Cost‑effective yet powerful
Imagine getting capabilities similar to expensive cloud AI tools, even on a laptop. That’s a game‑changer for small to mid-sized businesses wanting to harness AI without breaking the bank.
3. Transparent and trustworthy
With visible “chains of thought” (how the model reasons) and public safety evaluations, you get more insight into how decisions are made, boosting trust and auditability.
4. Accelerates innovation
Because it’s open, your team can experiment, customize, and innovate faster—surface-level change meets back-end control. Whether building smart assistants, analytics tools, or automations, the launch unlocks new possibilities.
Think of GPT‑OSS as...
A powerful, customizable computer brain that you can run in-house, giving you flexibility, control, and the power to build with confidence.
What’s new in GPT5?
I have been reading and watching all the developers and pilot testers for the last few weeks on X discuss what is coming with GPT5. Here are the things that stand out for me:
1. Confirmed Launch & Event
A livestream event is happening today at 1 PM ET strongly hinting it’s the GPT‑5 launch. Bummed to miss the livestream as I am speaking at a conference in New Orleans. I will catch the recording when I land late tonight.
2. Multiple Variants, Tailored for Different Uses
OpenAI seems to be releasing four variants of GPT‑5, each targeting distinct use cases:
GPT‑5 – powerhouse model for complex reasoning
GPT‑5‑mini – lighter, cost-efficient version
GPT‑5‑nano – designed for ultra-fast, low-latency applications
GPT‑5‑chat – optimized for conversational, multimodal interactions (text, image, possibly audio/video)
These run via API and are also accessible through platforms like GitHub Models.
3. Major Capabilities Upgrades
Enhanced reasoning: Stronger structured thinking, coding, and logic processing.
Multimodal & multitasking: Handles not just text but image, audio, and video inputs with ease.
Huge context window – rumored to support up to 1 million tokens, enabling long-form analysis and memory.
Persistent memory: Retains context across sessions for more coherent, tailored interactions.
I am most excited about the context window and memory.
4. Platform Integration & Access
GPT‑5 and its variants are being embedded into ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot.
Access likely tiered across subscription levels (free, Plus, Pro, Teams) similar to prior rollout strategies.
It's more than just a model upgrade. It's a suite of variants optimized for reasoning, multimodality, and long-form understanding. While some early testers suggest the leap may not be revolutionary in performance, its expansive capabilities, flexibility, and wide accessibility are stirring genuine excitement.
What are the different versions of Microsoft CoPilot?
Many times in preparing for my training sessions with companies, I ask about what AI tools they are using or that are approved for usage. They will say Copilot but when I dig a little deeper, I find they have only turned on the Copilot free version and don’t realize there are several versions of Copilot.
1. Free Microsoft Copilot (Public Web Version)
This is accessible via copilot.microsoft.com or Bing Chat for anyone with a personal Microsoft account (Outlook, Hotmail, etc.).
Key Features:
Based on GPT-4 and web search
Limited context (doesn’t access your files or emails)
Great for general questions, summarizing articles, brainstorming, light tasks
No integration with Microsoft 365 apps
Responses reset after each session
Ideal For:
Personal use
Quick productivity tasks or learning
Casual exploration of AI
2. Free Copilot (Internal Enterprise/Organizational Use)
Some companies get access to a limited free version of Copilot within Microsoft apps if they’re on Microsoft 365 E3/E5 licenses without the Copilot add-on.
Key Features:
May show up as Copilot in the toolbar in apps like Word, Outlook, Excel, etc., but:
Only works with public web-based AI
Does NOT search your company files, emails, or Teams chats
May include limited preview features
Often used to encourage enterprise testing before purchase
Ideal For:
Internal testing or pilot programs
Getting comfortable with the UI
Very light use, not enterprise-ready
3. Paid Copilot for Microsoft 365
Requires a Copilot license add-on ($30/user/month as of 2024) on top of an existing Microsoft 365 license (E3 or E5).
Key Features:
✅ Deep integration with your Microsoft 365 ecosystem
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote
Accesses your emails, calendar, files, Teams messages
Works with graph-based enterprise data
Can summarize documents, create presentations from notes, draft emails using calendar context, etc.
✅ Enterprise-grade data privacy & security
Complies with organizational compliance rules
Data is not used to train the model
Identity-aware (knows who you are and what data you have access to)
✅ Microsoft 365 Graph Search Integration
You can ask things like:
“Summarize all unread emails from my manager”
“Draft a presentation using the Q3 revenue data from Excel”
“What’s the last thing discussed in our team’s budget channel?”
✅ Consistent context across apps
It remembers recent work across Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.
Ideal For:
Enterprise productivity
Knowledge workers, sales, HR, leadership
Real ROI on time savings and information retrieval
4. Copilot Pro – $20/user/month
Designed for individual power users and small teams.
Highlights:
Priority access to GPT-4 Turbo
Enhanced image creation (100 boosts/day)
Works in web versions of Word, Excel, Outlook
Can connect to personal OneDrive for personalized assistance
Requires Microsoft 365 Personal or Family for desktop integration
Greater Cincinnati Nonprofit Hackathon
We have plenty of volunteers and solid use cases. Now, we need sponsorships to sustain the build and maintenance of the MVP for the nonprofits. Our goal is $20k by August 15. Ask me about our different levels of sponsorship starting at $1000. All amounts will be greatly appreciated.
We are moving at the speed of AI with this incredible team from Disruption Now and many volunteers from the CincyAI community are leading an in person nonprofit hackathon on September 6.
The Future of Data Hackathon is a one-day event and the precursor to MidwestCon, bringing together teams of students and professionals to help Cincinnati-area nonprofits solve real technology and data challenges.
2025 AI Adventures in Greater Cincinnati and Dayton
August
August 12 Miami Valley HR 11:15-1 in Dayton, OH https://mvhra.mightevent.com/events/event-Details.cfm?eventKey=8054
August 13 Crossroads Impact Summit for Nonprofits
September
September 2 CincyAI from 3-5 EST at UC Digital Futures building. Free to attend. In person only. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1344527079689?aff=oddtdtcreator
September 10-11 MidwestCon https://midwestcon.live/
This conference is gathering the top innovators, policymakers, creators, and visionaries from across the globe to tackle today’s emerging tech challenges.
September 18 Best in Tech Awards hosted by The Circuit from 5-9 pm https://thecircuit.net/event/best-of-tech-awards-2/
I love answering your AI questions. Feel free to message me.
Where AI and inspiration collide!
Kendra Ramirez
KendraRamirez.com
We provide AI Speaking and Training, AI Readiness Assessments, AI Strategy, AI roadmap and implementation, and AI Coaching for small to mid-size businesses and nonprofits.
**For those new to my work, I have been in tech my whole career. Over 15 years of running my digital agency (website, social media, and lead generation) and 7 years of helping businesses navigate AI. Over the past two years, I’ve had the privilege of leading over 100 training and speaking sessions, empowering businesses to embrace the transformative potential of AI. My passion lies in simplifying complex technologies to help organizations grow, innovate, and thrive in an ever-changing landscape.
I am so excited that you are on this journey with me! Thank you! 🤗
I have been writing weekly about AI here for over two years. You can search all of my enewsletters here if you are looking to brush up on a certain topic. kendratech.substack.com