OpenAI launches gpt-oss: New open-weight models for laptop use—Here’s how to test them out.

For the first time since the release of GPT-2 over five years ago, OpenAI is introducing not just one, but two open-weight AI reasoning models that are now available for download at no cost on Hugging Face. Described as “state-of-the-art,” these new OpenAI models were announced in a company blog post on Tuesday. OpenAI states that these models “outperform similarly sized open models on reasoning, excel at tool use, and are optimized for efficient deployment on consumer hardware.”

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There are two versions:

• gpt-oss-120b: the larger and more powerful model, which can run on a single Nvidia GPU.
• gpt-oss-20b: a lightweight alternative designed to run on consumer laptops with just 16GB of RAM.

These new OpenAI models are worth exploring for all interested users. So, what does open-weight mean? This release harkens back to OpenAI’s early days when the company was more dedicated to open-sourcing its models—a commitment reflected in the company’s name. While these models are not “fully open source” in the strictest sense since the training data isn’t included, they are open weight, meaning the code and model parameters are accessible for anyone to use, modify, and build upon.

It’s important to note that models such as Meta’s LLaMA are not genuinely open source either—at least not according to the standards of the open-source community, which requires access to training data as a foundational aspect. Since the launch of GPT-2, OpenAI has gradually moved towards a more closed and proprietary approach to its LLM development—until now. The release of these open-weight models signifies a notable shift in direction, and it comes at a critical time.

With China’s DeepSeek AI and other labs making strides and achieving impressive results on benchmark tests, there has been increasing pressure for US tech companies to remain competitive in the global AI landscape. Just last month, the Trump administration urged American AI developers to embrace open sourcing more of their technology to foster innovation aligned with “American values” and maintain a competitive edge.

This initiative marks a significant advance not only for OpenAI but also for the broader open AI ecosystem, encouraging collaboration and innovation within the field.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, the parent company of Hotnchill, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April, alleging copyright infringement concerning its training and operation of AI systems.