OpenAI has quietly released an update to their ChatGPT.
Executive summary about GPT 5.1:
It's described as being "smarter", "safer" and "more conversational."
Variants:
- GPT 5.1 Instant: This is the default response model, similar to what you get when you don't enable special "thinking" modes.
- GPT 5.1 Thinking: This is the "reasoning model."
Features:
- Warmer/Higher EQ: OpenAI is positioning GPT 5.1 as "warmer," meaning it has a higher emotional quotient (EQ). Users can choose from different "tones".
- Better Instruction Following: OpenAI states it's better at following instructions.
- Faster (GPT 5.1 Instant): The "instant" version is described as faster. GPT 5.1 spends less time on easy tasks and more time on harder tasks.
- Safe Chatbot: According to internal tests at OpenAI, the new models are safer than predecessors.
Overall Assessment:
- Decent, but not groundbreaking: The speaker considers it a "decent release" but "nothing fancy." They even suggest it could have been a silent API update without much notice.
- Potential Impact: It's not expected to drastically impact many people's lives but could be helpful for those running chatbots for customer support.
- Filling Gaps: The overarching theme is that GPT 5.1 is designed to fill the perceived gaps and shortcomings of GPT-4o and its predecessors.
GPT-5.1 Instant and GPT-5.1 Thinking System Card Addendum | OpenAI