🎙️ EP 164: OpenAI Downgrades Free Users, and GPT Image 1.5 is Finally Live

AI had a wild week. OpenAI quietly downgraded free users, dropped a shockingly good image model, and a new Harvard study revealed how people actually use AI agents. Some of this looks exciting. Some of it should make you pause.

We’ll talk about:

• How GPT Image 1.5 became the fastest and most accurate image editor yet
• Why OpenAI is defaulting free users to a cheaper model (and betting you won’t notice)
• Why “Slop” became the 2025 Word of the Year and what that says about AI content
• The Perplexity x Harvard study showing people use AI for thinking, not chores
• What all of this means for creators, builders, and anyone using AI for real work

Keywords: GPT Image 1.5, OpenAI, GPT‑5.2 Instant, AI agents, Perplexity, Harvard study, Gemma 4, AI slop ...