GPT-5.1 Goes Live: OpenAI’s Power Move Accelerates the AI Arms Race

OpenAI just dropped GPT-5.1 like a mic—and the AI industry is scrambling to keep up.

ChatGPT's smarter, faster sibling is here. No hype, no fluff—just a straight shot of algorithmic adrenaline that leaves competitors sweating.

Wall Street's already pricing in the disruption. (Cue the usual parade of overleveraged VCs pretending they saw this coming.)

One question remains: Who'll be left standing when the model wars end?

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Two Versions for Different Needs

The company introduced GPT-5.1 Instant and GPT-5.1 Thinking. Instant focuses on speed and tone. It now chooses when to pause and “think” before answering a hard question. OpenAI said this helps the model perform better on math and coding tests. It also follows directions more closely. In early trials, it answered exact-length requests that the older GPT-5 often missed.

Meanwhile, GPT-5.1 Thinking adjusts how long it processes a question based on how tough it is. It spends more time on complex tasks and less on simple ones. OpenAI said the result is clearer answers with less technical talk. That helps users who rely on ChatGPT for work or study tasks.

OpenAI also added new settings to let people shape ChatGPT’s tone. Users can now select from eight personality types, including Professional, Friendly, and Quirky. They can also fine-tune how short or warm the replies sound and how often emojis appear. The company is testing a feature that lets ChatGPT suggest tone changes during a chat.

Paid subscribers on Pro, Plus, Go, and Business plans will get access first, followed by free users. The models will also be available through OpenAI’s API later this week under the name “gpt-5.1-chat-latest.”

A More Flexible Direction

The launch follows user backlash from August when OpenAI retired its older GPT-4o model and replaced it with GPT-5. Many users said GPT-5 felt too cold. Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman later admitted that removing GPT-4o was a mistake and promised a smoother rollout in the future.

With GPT-5.1, OpenAI said it will keep older models online for three months before removing them. That change gives users and developers more time to adjust. Overall, GPT-5.1 is designed to make ChatGPT friendlier while keeping its performance strong. For OpenAI, it signals a steady MOVE toward more flexible tools that can fit a wider range of users and work settings.

We used TipRanks’ Comparison Tool to line up and compare some of the notable companies that employ AI chatbots similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT.