ChatGPT-4.5 Limitations: What This AI Model Still Can’t Do

ChatGPT-4.5 is powerful but far from perfect. While it’s great for conversations, creative tasks, and basic automation, it struggles with complex reasoning, multi-step logic, and advanced workflows. Here’s a quick summary of its key limitations:

Reasoning Depth: Struggles with multi-step logic, making it unreliable for complex tasks like advanced math (36.7% accuracy on AIME problems).
Fact-Checking: Often produces outputs that sound correct but are inaccurate, requiring additional validation.
API Challenges: Limited in handling advanced integrations like OAuth 2.0 and multi-factor authentication.
Workflow Automation: Fails with intricate logic, branching, and error handling in low-code platforms.
Bias and Ethics: Reflects societal biases in certain outputs, posing risks for sensitive business decisions.

Quick Overview

Feature	Strength	Limitation
General Conversation	Smooth and engaging	Lacks reasoning depth
Content Generation	Creative outputs	Needs fact-checking
Customer Support	Handles basic inquiries	Struggles with complex scenarios
Business Automation	Basic workflows	Weak in multi-step processes
API Integration	Basic function calling	Issues with advanced protocols
Ethical Concerns	Broad knowledge	Bias in sensitive responses

Takeaway: Use ChatGPT-4.5 for creative and conversational tasks, but pair it with specialized tools for logic-heavy workflows, API management, and automation. Its strengths shine when complemented by platforms like Latenode or other advanced systems.

GPT 4.5 - not so much wow

Complex Reasoning Problems

ChatGPT-4.5 faces challenges with complex reasoning tasks that are crucial for business automation. Evaluations reveal that the model struggles in situations requiring detailed analysis and sequential logic.

Multi-Step Logic Issues

When it comes to advanced math and science tasks, GPT-4.5's performance leaves room for improvement. For instance, it scored just 36.7% on AIME math competition problems [6]. Unlike models designed to follow detailed step-by-step processes, GPT-4.5 often provides quick answers that miss a thorough logical explanation [5]. This limitation forces businesses to implement additional controls to ensure accuracy in their workflows.

Task Type	Success Rate	Impact on Business Operations
Math Competitions	36.7%	Unreliable for financial modeling
Science Assessments	71.4%	Limited use in research applications
Payment Processing	57%	Poses risks in financial transactions

Unreliable Problem-Solving

In addition to struggles with multi-step logic, the model's overall problem-solving can produce outputs that sound convincing but are incorrect. Dan Shipper, CEO of Every, shared his perspective:

"It's more like a personality, communication, and creativity upgrade than a huge intelligence leap. It's like OpenAI is pivoting its base model from 'bland assistant' to 'AI bestie'" [6]

Compared to GPT-4o and other models like DeepSeek V3, GPT-4.5's higher costs do not justify its reasoning shortcomings [6]. Its inconsistency often necessitates extra validation steps, adding complexity to workflows [4].

"For those who have been benefitting from the recent streak of cheap STEM-focused reasoning models (o1/o3, Sonnet 3.7, DeepSeek-R1, Grok 3) through the API, it will feel like a huge step back" – The Algorithmic Bridge [6]

API Connection Problems

For businesses automating workflows, integrating ChatGPT-4.5's API can be tricky. While the model offers basic API features like function calling and image inputs [2], it struggles when handling more complex integrations.

Here’s a breakdown of the main API integration challenges that impact enterprise workflows.

Authentication Setup Issues

ChatGPT-4.5 faces difficulties with advanced security protocols, falling short of enterprise-level standards. Managing intricate OAuth 2.0 flows and multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a particular weak spot. These limitations have led to the rise of alternative solutions and workarounds.

Authentication Challenge	Impact on Business Operations	Workaround
OAuth 2.0 Flows	Incomplete token management	ChatGPT-Bridge plugin [8]
Multi-Factor Auth	Requires manual intervention	ChatGPT-to-API conversion [9]

Some third-party tools have stepped in to fill the gap. For instance, the ChatGPT-Bridge plugin uses WebSockets to bypass the official OpenAI API. This is especially helpful for ChatGPT Plus users who need more dependable API connections.

API Data Control Gaps

Another issue lies in ChatGPT-4.5's inconsistent state management during API interactions. This makes it hard to maintain precise data control, which is crucial for business operations.

Platforms like Latenode, a low-code integration tool, offer a workaround by adding validation layers to ensure reliable data handling. These additional layers compensate for ChatGPT-4.5's shortcomings in managing API data independently.

Additionally, the chatgpt-api tool has gained popularity. It converts ChatGPT's website functionality into an OpenAI Chat API protocol [7], enabling smoother integration for applications and chatbots. However, implementing this tool requires careful attention to security protocols.

These challenges highlight the importance of using complementary tools for API management. Many businesses are now adopting hybrid approaches - leveraging ChatGPT-4.5's natural language strengths alongside specialized tools for better API handling.

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Low-Code Automation Shortfalls

ChatGPT-4.5 struggles with more advanced low-code automation tasks, particularly when workflows become complex. While it can handle simple tasks, its limitations become clear in scenarios requiring detailed workflow logic or enterprise-level tools.

Workflow Logic Challenges

When it comes to intricate business logic, ChatGPT-4.5 falls short. It generates errors in 37.1% of multi-step logic tasks, making it unreliable for complex workflows [11].

Capability	ChatGPT-4.5	Specialized Platforms
Branching Logic	Limited support	Full conditional branching
Loop Handling	Unreliable	Native support
Sub-scenarios	Not supported	Built-in capability
Error Handling	Basic	Advanced recovery options

"GPT-4.5 feels like a shiny new coat of paint on the same old car. Throwing more compute and data at a model can make it sound smoother, but it's not a game-changer", says Waseem Alshikh, cofounder and CTO of Writer [5]. Unlike platforms designed for step-by-step reasoning, ChatGPT-4.5 often skips methodical problem-solving, opting for immediate, sometimes flawed responses.

Lacking Enterprise-Grade Features

Aside from logic issues, ChatGPT-4.5 doesn't include the enterprise-level tools businesses need for scalable automation. Its basic automation suggestions pale in comparison to the comprehensive offerings of specialized platforms.

Some critical features missing from ChatGPT-4.5 are:

Development environments with version control
Execution history tracking
Headless browser automation
Database node integration
Custom code generation and debugging

Germaine H., Founder in Information Technology, highlights this gap:

"What I liked most about Latenode compared to the competition is that I did have the ability to write code and create custom nodes. Most other platforms are strictly no-code, which for me really limited what I could create with my …" [10].

Similarly, Islam B., CEO in Computer Software, adds:

"AI Nodes are amazing. You can use it without having API keys, it uses Latenode credit to call the AI models which makes it super easy to use. Latenode custom GPT is very helpful especially with node configuration" [10].

These shortcomings make it clear that ChatGPT-4.5 works best when paired with dedicated automation platforms, rather than being relied on as a standalone solution for complex workflows.

Business Ethics and Bias Issues

ChatGPT-4.5 presents challenges when used in sensitive business decisions due to biases and ethical concerns. Studies reveal that its training data reflects societal biases, which can influence responses based on identity-related cues. For instance, harmful stereotypes appear in 0.1% of outputs, increasing to 1% in specific contexts [15]. One study found the term "Muslim" often linked to violence-related content [14]. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, acknowledged these issues, stating that "ChatGPT has 'shortcomings around bias'" [12]. These concerns highlight the need for strong ethical safeguards.

Ethics and Trust Problems

Beyond bias, ChatGPT-4.5's inconsistent treatment of sensitive data poses risks to both company reputation and decision-making quality. Experiments show that only 50% of AI-generated inaccuracies are flagged, leading to potential privacy violations, security issues, and misinformation [14].

These technical limitations, combined with ethical concerns, increase risks for businesses. To address these problems, companies should take proactive steps such as conducting regular bias audits with tools like AI Fairness 360 and Fairlearn [16], establishing clear AI usage policies, and training employees to recognize and address biases [13].

"Overall, because the average rate of getting correct answers from ChatGPT is too low, the posting of answers created by ChatGPT is substantially harmful to the site and to users who are asking and looking for correct answers" [14].

A 2021 survey of 3,000 Americans revealed that CEOs must actively combat racism and sexism to maintain brand trust and integrity [12].

Conclusion: Using ChatGPT-4.5 with Other Tools

Key Limitation Summary

ChatGPT-4.5 represents a step forward in AI, but it still has clear limitations in handling complex reasoning and automation tasks. While it shows better conversational flow and creativity compared to earlier versions, it struggles with step-by-step logic and intricate problem-solving [3]. Its responses are based on predictive patterns rather than deep reasoning. To address these limitations, pairing ChatGPT-4.5 with other tools is a smart move.

Best Practices Guide

To overcome these challenges, combining ChatGPT-4.5 with platforms like Latenode can be highly effective. Latenode offers features designed to enhance workflows and make up for ChatGPT-4.5's gaps:

Feature	Benefit	Application
Visual No-Code Interface	Makes API connections simple	Works with 1,000+ apps
AI-Assisted Code Generation	Cuts down development time	Speeds up debugging
Execution-Based Pricing	Keeps costs under control	Pay only for usage time

By integrating ChatGPT-4.5 with Latenode's automation capabilities, businesses can streamline operations more effectively. Mike Kirshtein, Founder at Audax Group, highlights this integration's value:

"Latenode has replaced Zapier and Make⚡️. Our business requires us to send lots of webhooks every day and we need a reliable service that's easy on the pockets" [10].

What's Next for Business AI

Looking ahead, the future of business AI lies in deeper integration and smarter automation. Nick Ryder, head of OpenAI's foundations-in-research team, shares:

"Saying this is the last non-reasoning model really means we're really striving to be in a future where all users are getting routed to the right model" [1].

As AI continues to evolve, businesses should focus on leveraging ChatGPT-4.5's strengths while using specialized tools to address its weaknesses. This approach will ensure they are ready for the next wave of advanced reasoning and automation capabilities.