If you’ve been following along, a figure known as Strawberry Man, or @iruletheworldmo on X, has become the harbinger of what might be the most significant update in AI since the inception of conversational bots.
The Hype and the Man
Strawberry Man, not just a name but a phenomenon, has been at the forefront of AI speculation. His posts on X have ranged from cryptic to bold, like his recent declaration that “tomorrow, everything changes.” This statement, wrapped around the enigmatic “Project Strawberry,” has fueled the tech community’s imagination. As per the grapevine, Project Strawberry isn’t just another AI upgrade; it’s described as a revolution promising an intelligence that could outthink, outcreate, and outlast any current model.
While OpenAI has been characteristically silent, or at least not overly forthcoming, about its next moves, the community has pieced together information from various sources. Business Insider’s reports, among others, hinted at a summer release for what could be significantly better than GPT-4, with capabilities that might include autonomous internet navigation and advanced reasoning, thanks to Project Strawberry.
Some have speculated that Strawberry Man is powered by GPT-5 (or some new agent OpenAI has developed) or could be operated by multiple people over at OpenAI to stir excitement. If you’re on X and following people in the AI space, you’ve probably seen a lot of strawberries these past few weeks.
It’s interesting to see Strawberry Man’s very specific prediction. Although his posts have historically been very cryptic and vague, saying that GPT-5 is coming tomorrow is about as specific as it gets. If GPT-5 doesn’t drop tomorrow, many people will unfollow and block this account.
One misstep Strawberry Man appears to have made is that he contradicts himself and hasn’t been consistent (which could be on purpose). He falsy claimed that sus-column-r was a tiny OpenAI model, which, of course, is incorrect as it was revealed that it was Grok 2.
He then says that GPT -5 is ready and relies on safety and what Google does next (if anything, shouldn’t they focus on what Anthropic does next?). And then says that what we will be getting won’t quite be GPT-5. Although, he has since gone on to say it’s coming on Thursday now.
If Strawberry Man’s posts are to be taken at face value, GPT-5 isn’t just an incremental update. It’s described as “remarkably better” than anything we’ve seen, suggesting a leap in AI capabilities that could redefine what we expect from AI.
The mention of a $1,000 per-month price tag for the initial rollout period underscores the model’s anticipated value, hinting at capabilities that might be worth the steep cost for early adopters. I think the $1k price tag seems a bit too high.
Once again, just a few days ago, Strawberry Man was saying that GPT-5 isn’t what was being released next, and now all of a sudden seems so sure that it is. So, the inconsistencies in the posting could be sloppiness or intentionally trying to make it appear he is incompetent and further confuse people.
The Community’s Reaction
The X posts from Strawberry Man have stirred excitement and scepticism. The AI community, always looking for the next big thing, has mixed feelings. Some are outright bullish, seeing this as the dawn of a new era in AI, where models like Grok from xAI might face stiff competition. Others, like those who’ve unfollowed Strawberry Man for what they perceive as overhyping, suggest a more cautious approach, reminding everyone of the importance of waiting for official announcements.
Beyond the immediate excitement, Strawberry Man’s proclamations touch on broader themes in AI development: the quest for AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), the ethical implications of such advanced AI, and the economic impacts of a model that could perform tasks autonomously across various domains. This isn’t just about a new chatbot; it’s about redefining what AI can do for humanity or, perhaps, what it might do without human intervention.
Whether or not tomorrow brings the launch of GPT-5, as Strawberry Man has foretold, his posts have undeniably captured the zeitgeist of AI’s rapid evolution.
