OpenAI Unveils Its Most Advanced ChatGPT Model Yet at a High Price

OpenAI has officially launched its latest AI model, named o1 Pro, which comes with a new subscription tier called ChatGPT Pro. This new offering includes various cutting-edge features, but it also carries a significant price tag of $200 per month.

The newest subscription plan allows users to access advanced models like OpenAI o1, o1-mini, and GPT-4o. It also includes enhanced voice capabilities, designed to improve user interaction with the AI. In stark contrast, the previous subscription, ChatGPT Plus, was available at a much lower fee of $20 per month.

OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, explained that many dedicated ChatGPT users require more computational power than what the lower tier can offer. He stated, "Pro has unlimited access to our models and includes options like advanced voice mode." Recently, the o1 model has transitioned out of its testing phase in ChatGPT.

With advancements made since its preview phase, this model boasts improved reasoning skills, particularly in coding, mathematics, and writing tasks. Additionally, the new o1 model now allows users to upload images for analysis, enabling it to provide more detailed answers by evaluating visual information as well.

Altman affirmed that o1 is currently the most intelligent AI model available, with the Pro tier amplifying its capabilities. He noted, "These boosts may seem small, but they are quite significant in complex workflows where you're really pushing the limits of these models." In a recent interview, he highlighted the substantial user growth since ChatGPT's inception in November 2022, reporting over 300 million weekly active users sending over a billion messages daily.

Originally announced under codenames like "Strawberry" and "Orion," OpenAI shifted to the straightforward naming convention of "o1" for this advanced model. According to Noam Brown, a research scientist at OpenAI, o1 surpasses simply counting letters. It focuses on being more efficient in reasoning and quicker in response generation.

The new model has demonstrated a 34% reduction in major errors on difficult questions compared to its predecessor, taking the necessary time to process answers effectively. However, even with these promising advancements, some existing subscribers might hesitate to invest in the Pro tier. This is mainly because the $20 ChatGPT Plus tier already features ChatGPT-4o, which grants access to the popular image generator Dall-E3 and some web browsing capabilities—neither of which are currently available with the o1 Pro subscription.

Initial reviews of the o1 model, when it was still in the preview stage, indicated slower performance than the existing ChatGPT-4o model. Although the performance was underwhelming at that time, it is anticipated that OpenAI will continue to improve upon the o1 functionalities.

Even as the company progresses in adding more tools, such as web browsing and file uploads to OpenAI o1 in ChatGPT, the significant price of the Pro subscription raises questions about whether the enhancements justify the cost. While some users praise the upgrades, numerous voices within the community label the $200 monthly fee as excessively high for many potential users.

OpenAI has yet to directly address concerns regarding pricing but has reiterated that o1 remains accessible to Plus tier subscribers. As OpenAI gears up for a promotional event titled "12 Days of OpenAI," the conversation regarding generative AI's value and its accessibility is likely to expand further in the coming days.

OpenAI, ChatGPT, Pro