The Complete AI Learning Roadmap for 2025: Go From Zero to ChatGPT-5 Ready before ChatGPT-5 Comes Out!

I keep getting the same DM: "How do I actually understand AI before it's too late?"

This piece answers that question. Completely.

Why now? Everyone can feel it—GPT-5 is coming this summer, and with it, a fundamental shift in what AI can do. Sam Altman's promise of "one model that just works" isn't just marketing. It's likely going to be a reset moment for anyone trying to keep up.

Here's what hit me while writing this: This is a summer of consolidation. Whether we believe GPT-5 is the be-all OpenAI promises or not, the movement of the major model makers is unmistakably accelerating. We’re seeing fractured progress consolidate into something qualitatively different. Not just bigger models, but unified experiences. Not just smarter answers, but reliable enterprise-grade solutions. It makes me think back to 2007…this summer feels a bit like the year the iPhone released. In the same way the iPhone wasn't just a better BlackBerry, 2025 AI models are going to make 2023 and 2024 models look outdated. Just a couple of years in, AI itself is going through a platform shift.

So yes, in this ~22 page post I'll tell you everything we know about GPT-5 first (because I'm impatient too). The summer 2025 target, the model unification, the capacity bottlenecks, why OpenAI keeps pushing the date—it's all here. Consider it a brief that cuts through the rumor mill and gets you grounded before we dive deeper.

And yes, we will dive deeper! It’s summer and you need a beach read right?! Understanding what's coming in the second half of the year really means understanding how we got here. And I get it, that has not been easy! It’s been like, go dig up these 15 esoteric articles. Then it’s up to you to make sense of all of it.

Nope. That sucks. Not anymore. Now you get one easy place to get a very clear summary of what AI actually is, how we got generative AI and (yes) who I follow to keep up with the latest on AI. Really.

And it’s all very readable, with your handy links to a whole course worth of follow-up material. I’m not kidding. If you read up on the 11 voices I list here plus the 7 AI resources I call out you will without a doubt be better informed than 99% of the global population on AI.

And they’re not even that heavy. You skip one good doom-scrolling sesh a day for a few weeks and you are there. Promise. And even if you don’t and you just read this post, you’re gonna understand AI better than most people out there. I’ve made it that accessible.

So what’s in the “get ready for ChatGPT-5” box anyway? So glad you asked. I've structured this guide in four parts:

First, everything we know about ChatGPT-5—the specs, the delays, the strategic implications. For those who need to know what's coming before they'll invest in understanding how it works.

Second, the story of AI told in a way that actually makes sense—how we went from spam filters to ChatGPT, told without the jargon. This is the foundation most people skip, then wonder why AI feels like magic.

Third, seven carefully selected resources that take you from total beginner to genuinely understanding modern AI. Yes, including building your own GPT. These aren't random YouTube videos—these seven are a curated path I’ve seen laid out nowhere else. I’ve created the lesson guide on AI I wish existed on the internet.

Fourth, my personal list of 11 people who consistently deliver signal over noise. When ChatGPT-5 drops and everyone has opinions, these are the voices that will actually matter. Honestly, follow them regardless of what OpenAI does, because these 11 together will tell you where the future is going.

So there you go! Whether you're a founder trying to position for the post-ChatGPT-5 world, a PM wondering if AI agents really will "join the workforce" this year, a leader trying to skill up on AI, or (like most of us) just someone who refuses to be left behind—this is your starting point.

The clock is ticking. Summer is here and this is the beach read you’ve been waiting for lol

Let's start with what everyone wants to know: Everything we know about ChatGPT-5...