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.

GPT-5.1 Thinking now more effectively adjusts its thinking time based on the question, spending more time on complex problems, less on simple ones.

Responses are clearer with less jargon. pic.twitter.com/oCUrEPKkpE

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) November 12, 2025

• ‘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.

OpenAI

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.

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.

Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

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.