OpenAI's 12 Days of "Shipmas": Day 1 - o1 Launches With a Pro Twist

Ellis Crosby

AI Expert & Incremento AI Lead

December 6, 2024

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Well, OpenAI kicked off their holiday release spree with a bang: a full release of their o1 reasoning model, plus a surprise new ChatGPT Pro tier. Let's break down what this actually means for your business and how you can use it.

What's New in this AI innovation?

The o1 Model: Now Out of Preview

- Available to all ChatGPT Plus users ($20/month)
- Significantly faster than the preview version
- 34% reduction in major errors
- Can now reason about images you upload
- Better at coding, math, and writing tasks

ChatGPT Pro: A New Premium Tier

- $200/month subscription
- Unlimited access to o1, o1-mini, and GPT-4o
- Access to "pro mode" that makes o1 think harder
- Advanced voice features
- No usage limits

What This Means For Your Business

Regular Plus Users ($20/month)

You're getting a major upgrade. The full o1 release is significantly better than both the preview version and GPT-4. We've been testing it today, and here's what stands out:

1. Speed: It's about 50x faster at generating thinking steps than the preview
2. Reliability: Major errors are down by a third
3. Image Understanding: You can now upload images for analysis and explanation
4. Better Code: Particularly strong at understanding complex codebases and debugging

Pro Users ($200/month)

The new tier is clearly aimed at power users and businesses with heavy AI needs. Our testing shows it's worth considering if you:

- Need to solve complex technical or mathematical problems
- Work with large amounts of code or data analysis
- Require consistent, reliable outputs for professional use
- Need unlimited access without hitting rate limits

Real-World Applications of this OpenAI technology

We've spent the day testing various business scenarios. Here's where o1 particularly shines:

1. Code Analysis:
The new o1 gives much more detailed explanations and spotted optimization opportunities we hadn't considered.

2. Document Analysis:
Upload a complex spreadsheet or document, and o1 can now reason about the content, spot patterns, and suggest improvements.

3. Technical Writing:
The improved reasoning shows in documentation writing - it's better at maintaining context and explaining complex topics clearly.

Should You Upgrade to Pro?

Consider Pro if:

- You're using ChatGPT heavily for professional work
- You need reliable, consistent results for client deliverables
- You're working with complex technical problems
- Rate limits are currently slowing you down

Stick with Plus if:

- You're using ChatGPT for general tasks
- You don't need unlimited access
- The regular o1 model meets your needs
- $200/month isn't justified by your usage

What's Next for this AI technology?

OpenAI mentioned they're still working on:

- Adding web browsing to o1
- File upload support
- API access with function calling
- Structured outputs
- Vision capabilities

We'll keep testing and sharing our findings as these features roll out.

Our Take on this OpenAI innovation

Day 1 brought bigger announcements than expected. While the $200 price tag for Pro might seem steep, the regular o1 upgrade for Plus users is impressive enough for most business needs. The real value of Pro will likely depend on your specific use cases and volume requirements.

Stay tuned for Day 2's coverage tomorrow!