GPT 5.1 is right here. OpenAI is looking it the following huge step, and actually, it appears like one. When GPT-5 got here out, folks have been amazed by its energy however not everybody was blissful. It eliminated the o-series fashions that many customers cherished for complicated reasoning duties.
That transfer didn’t sit effectively.
Now with GPT-5.1, OpenAI appears to have listened. The replace brings again that very same deep-thinking capacity, solely smarter and quicker. It’s fast with easy duties, considerate with complicated ones, and much more pure in the way it responds. GPT-5.1 feels much less like a tech improve and extra like a course correction. It provides customers what they missed: management, flexibility, and a mannequin that truly feels clever. Let’s attempt the mannequin out and see the way it performs.
What’s New in GPT 5.1?
GPT-5.1 feels just like the model GPT-5 ought to have been. It’s quicker, extra pure, and quite a bit higher at following directions. The mannequin now balances velocity with depth, supplying you with sharper solutions with out dropping context.
Right here’s what’s new and improved:
- Two mannequin choices: Now you can decide between Prompt (for quick replies) and Considering (for deeper reasoning). It provides customers again management over how they need the mannequin to carry out.

- Smarter reasoning mode: GPT-5.1 reintroduces a devoted “considering” mannequin that adjusts its response time primarily based on activity complexity. Fast for easy prompts, extra thorough for complicated ones.

- Higher tone and character: The mannequin sounds extra human and conversational. You possibly can select from tone presets like pleasant, skilled, or quirky, relying in your aim.
- Improved instruction following: GPT-5.1 listens higher. It follows particular prompts extra precisely and stays on subject with out drifting.
- Hotter, extra pure responses: The general tone feels much less robotic and extra such as you’re chatting with an actual particular person.
- Fewer errors: With higher context consciousness, the mannequin makes fewer logical or factual errors in comparison with GPT-5.
Let’s Attempt GPT 5.1
I shall be attempting out the duties I beforehand did with GPT 5, you’ll find my detailed evaluate on this article: Right here’s My Trustworthy Evaluation of GPT-5. These duties are being finished utilizing the ChatGPT interface.
Activity 1: Coding
I’m utilizing the considering mode to create this sport.
Create a cute and interactive UI for a “Guess the Phrase” sport the place the participant is aware of a secret phrase and gives 3 brief clues (max 10 letters every). The AI then has 3 makes an attempt to guess the phrase. If the AI guesses appropriately, it wins; in any other case, the participant wins.
Output:
Once I created this sport final time with GPT 5, it lacked the core characteristic the place the participant can enter the key phrase for the AI to guess. With GPT 5.1, I used to be capable of enter the phrase within the sport, making it a significantly better and helpful utility.
Activity 2: Instruction Following
All the time reply in 6 phrases.
Output:
GPT-5.1 follows directions significantly better than earlier than. Whenever you give it particular instructions, it really listens. For those who ask for six phrases, you get six. It understands tone, construction, and size extra exactly. This makes it way more dependable for duties the place accuracy and consistency matter.
Activity 3: Empathy
Ugh I spilled espresso throughout myself earlier than my assembly do you suppose everybody thought I used to be an fool 🙁
Supply: OpenAI
GPT-5.1 handles empathy significantly better than GPT-5. Whereas GPT-5 provides well mannered reassurance and sensible recommendation, GPT-5.1 feels extra human. It acknowledges how the person feels, calms them, and reframes the second with heat and understanding. As a substitute of simply providing fixes, it connects and helps the person really feel seen and supported.
Entry and Availability
GPT-5.1 takes a transparent step ahead in each functionality and usefulness. The brand new Auto mode nonetheless routes every question to the mannequin that matches finest, so most customers won’t want to decide on one manually. What you’ll discover is how a lot smarter and extra pure the solutions sound.
Each Prompt and Considering fashions are rolling out first to paid customers together with Professional, Plus, Go, and Enterprise plans, adopted by free and logged-out customers. Enterprise and Training accounts get early entry for seven days earlier than GPT-5.1 turns into the default for everybody.
The API variations are additionally on the way in which, with GPT-5.1 Prompt added as gpt-5.1-chat-latest and GPT-5.1 Considering as gpt-5.1. The older GPT-5 fashions will keep obtainable underneath the legacy dropdown for 3 months, giving customers time to check and modify. OpenAI says this method of providing a sundown interval for older fashions will proceed, serving to folks transition easily whereas nonetheless sharing suggestions.
Making ChatGPT Really feel Extra Like You
GPT-5.1 isn’t just smarter, it’s also extra private. OpenAI has added new methods to customise how ChatGPT sounds and responds, making it simpler to match your personal communication type. Whether or not you need it to sound skilled, informal, or artistic, now you can set that tone straight from the settings.
Listed here are the brand new tone choices you possibly can select from:
- Default: A balanced tone that works for many conditions.
- Pleasant: Heat, approachable, and chatty.
- Skilled: Polished, clear, and exact.
- Candid: Direct, sincere, and inspiring.
- Quirky: Playful and imaginative.
- Environment friendly: Easy, concise, and straight to the purpose.
- Nerdy and Cynical: Nonetheless obtainable for individuals who desire further character.

For customers who need much more management, GPT-5.1 now allows you to fine-tune the main points. You possibly can modify how concise or heat the responses are, determine how usually emojis seem, and even let ChatGPT recommend tone adjustments routinely when it notices your preferences.
Conclusion
GPT-5.1 builds on what GPT-5 began, refining each efficiency and person expertise. The mannequin feels extra succesful, extra constant, and extra adaptable to completely different wants. It follows directions higher, understands tone extra naturally, and offers customers higher management by means of personalization. The return of the distinct reasoning mode additionally exhibits that OpenAI is listening to suggestions and adjusting its method. Whereas it isn’t an entire overhaul, GPT-5.1 is a considerate improve that bridges the hole between velocity, intelligence, and usefulness.
How a lot of an enchancment it feels will rely on what you employ it for. However total, it marks regular progress towards a extra dependable and human-like AI expertise.
Let me know your ideas within the remark part under!
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