Copyright Digital Trends
What’s happened? OpenAI has officially launched its latest model update, GPT‑5.1, just three months after the debut of GPT‑5. It includes two variants, GPT-5.1 Instant and GPT-5.1 Thinking, aimed at boosting speed, personality, and instruction‐following in its flagship chat platform. ‘Instant’ is “warmer, more intelligent, and better at following your instructions,” whereas ‘Thinking’ focuses on tougher problems, better clarity, and more thoughtful reasoning. For now, users will be routed automatically to whichever variant best fits their prompt, though manual selection may be available later on. 8 new personality‐preset options have been added: Default, Professional, Friendly, Candid, Quirky, Efficient, Nerdy, and Cynical. OpenAI is also making intuitive changes to tweak ChatGPT’s tone, style, and even emoji usage. The model’s rollout begins with paid subscribers (Pro, Plus, Business) and will reach free users in due course. GPT-5 will be available to paid users for the next three months. This is important because: If you’re a frequent ChatGPT user, you will notice the difference in tone immediately in this update. Users will also see new tools to customise ChatGPT’s tone with presets like Friendly, Professional, Candid, and more, making the interaction feel less robotic and more personal. For those who use the AI for productivity, the stronger instruction compliance, faster turnaround (especially in the Instant model) could mean better efficiency. The choice of model variants means you have two distinct options: op: one optimized for quick, conversational replies and another for deeper, more deliberate reasoning. Recommended Videos Why should I care? GPT-5.1 isn’t just a technical refresh because it changes how useful and dependable ChatGPT can be. Better instruction-following, warmer tone options, and a split model that adapts to your task mean fewer hiccups whether you’re working, studying, or chatting. Quick replies will reduce back-and-forth, and deeper reasoning improves research and complex tasks. OK, what’s next? Start by checking if your ChatGPT menu shows GPT-5.1 Instant or GPT-5.1 Thinking. If you’re on a paid plan, you should see it shortly. Experiment with the personality presets and see which style fits your workflow best, such as Friendly for conversations, Professional for business drafts. Keep an eye on OpenAI’s rollout updates and system cards to understand how the new model differs in practice. Manisha likes to cover technology that is a part of everyday life, from smartphones & apps to gaming & streaming…
