OpenAI trained its new o1 AI models to think before they speak – how to access them

If you have used ChatGPT, you know that the chatbot outputs answers incredibly quickly, taking seconds to process even complex queries. Although speed is a clear advantage, it can also mean the chatbot rushed through generating an answer. These new OpenAI models specialize in tackling that issue. 

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OpenAI unveiled OpenAI o1 on Thursday, a new series of models designed to work through more complex science, coding, and math problems by spending more time thinking before they respond, according to the blog post. 

OpenAI shares that it trained the models to think before responding, like humans do, refining their thinking process and allowing them to try different strategies and identify their mistakes. 

This approach has paid off, with the o1 model excelling in math and coding, scoring 83% on the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) qualifying exam. For comparison, GPT-4o correctly solved only 13% of problems. Open AI CEO Sam Altman highlighted some of the benchmark results in an X post, seen below.  

The results make sense, given that a popular way to make ChatGPT output higher-quality responses, especially with prompts requiring advanced reasoning, is requesting it to reread the prompt. When reprocessing the original request, it typically finds its error and outputs the correct response. 

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Because o1 is an early model, it lacks key ChatGPT features, such as internet browsing and accepting media uploads. As a result, in the short term, GPT-4o may be the best model for common cases, while o1 will be a better option for solving complex science, coding, and math problems. 

OpenAI also launched o1-mini, which is 80% cheaper than o1-preview. This makes it a more cost-effective and faster alternative for developers. OpenAI shares in the blog post that o1-mini is specifically effective at coding. 

ChatGPT Plus and Team users can access the o1-preview and o1-mini models from the model picker toggle on the left side of their ChatGPT page, with weekly rate limits of 30 messages for o1-preview and 50 for o1-mini. Altman confirmed the rollout was live to all ChatGPT Plus/team users. 

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The models are also available to developers who qualify for API usage tier 5 in the API with a limit of 20 RPM. ChatGPT Enterprise and Edu users will get access at the beginning of next week. OpenAI plans to bring o1-mini to all ChatGPT free users, too but did not explicitly say when that change will happen. 

OpenAI is also working on expanding upon the current limit and enabling ChatGPT to choose the best model automatically based on user prompts. 

Rumors about an OpenAI model with advanced reasoning capabilities had been circulating as early as November 2023. Since then, the project has been dubbed Project Strawberry, with Atlman catching on and posting teasers throughout the summer. 

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