OpenAI announced today the rollout of GPT-5.1, introducing major upgrades across its flagship ChatGPT models and expanding tools that allow users to customize the assistant’s tone and communication style. The update begins rolling out immediately, starting with paid users. OpenAI’s launch of GPT-5.1 introduces sweeping upgrades to its two primary ChatGPT models, GPT-5.1 Instant and GPT-5.1 Thinking, each designed to address different user needs in terms of speed, reasoning, and communication style.
GPT-5.1 Instant, the model that powers the majority of ChatGPT interactions, has undergone its most substantial refinement to date. The new version adopts a warmer and more natural conversational tone, reflecting user feedback that AI should feel approachable and engaging, not just accurate. According to OpenAI, the model now delivers responses that are more expressive and fluid, enabling smoother back-and-forth dialogue without sacrificing clarity or precision. Early testers described the updated Instant model as noticeably more playful and personable, often introducing light, context-appropriate creativity while still maintaining a high level of usefulness. The company positioned GPT-5.1 Instant as the everyday workhorse for quick answers, creative drafting, and general conversation, emphasizing that the model now strikes a balance between responsiveness and an improved sense of emotional intelligence.
GPT-5.1 Thinking, the more advanced reasoning-focused model, also receives significant upgrades. OpenAI stated that this version is now easier for users to interpret, offering more precise explanations of its reasoning steps and delivering more structured thought processes when tackling complex problems. The company highlighted two improvements in particular: faster performance on direct tasks and greater persistence on complex, multi-step reasoning challenges. GPT-5.1 Thinking is designed to maintain focus across more extended sequences of logic, making it better suited for areas like coding, troubleshooting, analytical problem-solving, research assistance, and decision evaluation. The improvements aim to help users understand why the model arrives at certain conclusions, reducing ambiguity in scenarios that require deep thinking or technical rigor.
Together, the enhanced Instant and Thinking models anchor OpenAI’s broader effort to make ChatGPT not only more capable but also more adaptable to individual communication preferences. Both models will sit at the core of the GPT-5.1 series as the company continues to roll out new customization tools that allow users to tailor tone, style, and interaction dynamics in real-time.
