ChatGPT 5.1 Review: The Brutal Truth About The New Update

GPT 5.1 Announcement and Availability [00:00]

• OpenAI has released GPT 5.1, an update designed to make the AI "smarter and warmer."
• This update is rolling out gradually, beginning with paid users on Pro, Plus, and Business plans.
• Free and logged-out users will receive the update later.
• Enterprise and educational plans have a 7-day early access option.

Two Versions: Instant and Thinking [02:38]

• GPT 5.1 comes in two primary versions: GPT 5.1 Instant and GPT 5.1 Thinking.
• GPT 5.1 Instant is optimized for fast responses and is described as warmer and more conversational.
• GPT 5.1 Thinking is an advanced reasoning model designed for more complex tasks, aiming to be more persistent and thorough.
• Users can select these models manually, or the system can automatically choose the best model for a given query.

Testing GPT 5.1's Conversational Warmth [04:52]

• A test prompt ("I'm feeling stressed and could use some relaxation tips") was used to compare GPT 5.0 and GPT 5.1 Instant.
• GPT 5.0 provided a direct, structured response.
• GPT 5.1 Instant started with a more empathetic and personalized opening ("I got you, Ron. That's totally normal...") and offered tailored advice.
• The speaker found GPT 5.1's response to be significantly warmer and more friendly.

Evaluating Instruction Following Capabilities [11:03]

• GPT 5.1 is claimed to have improved instruction following.
• A test involved instructing the AI to "Always respond with six words."
• GPT 5.0 initially followed the rule but later failed on a follow-up question, responding with seven words.
• GPT 5.1 Instant consistently adhered to the six-word limit for both the initial prompt and a follow-up question.

GPT 5.1 Thinking: Adaptable Reasoning and Efficiency [15:24]

• GPT 5.1 Thinking can now use adaptive reasoning to decide when to think before responding to challenging questions.
• This leads to more thorough answers on complex tasks and quicker responses for simpler ones.
• Performance improvements are noted in math and coding evaluations.
• The model is described as varying its thinking time more dynamically, being faster on simple tasks and slower on complex ones, approximately doubling or halving the time compared to GPT 5.

Clarity and Reduced Jargon in Thinking Model [19:30]

• GPT 5.1 Thinking's responses are clearer, with less jargon and fewer undefined terms, making it more approachable for complex topics.
• A comparison was made on explaining baseball statistics (BABIP and WRC Plus).
• GPT 5.1 provided a more understandable explanation, breaking down concepts in plain English with context.
• GPT 5.0's explanation was more technical and dense with acronyms, making it harder for a novice to grasp.

Enhanced Empathy and Tone in GPT 5.1 Thinking [26:07]

• The default tone of GPT 5.1 Thinking is warmer and more empathetic.
• A scenario testing a spilled coffee incident showed GPT 5.1 offering a more reassuring and human-like response, reframing the mishap positively.
• GPT 5.0's response was functional but less emotionally resonant.
• The new version sounded more natural and less forced in its empathetic delivery.

Personalization and Customization Options [34:45]

• OpenAI is making it easier to customize GPT's tone and style through personalization settings.
• Users can select presets like Professional, Friendly, Candid, Quirky, Efficient, Nerdly, and Cynical.
• The speaker tested the "Cynical" tone by asking GPT to write a tweet from the perspective of a jealous refrigerator.
• GPT 5.1 effectively adopted the cynical tone, producing a humorous and in-character response that was superior to GPT 5.0's less tonally specific output.

Future Rollout and Legacy Support [30:54]

• GPT 5.1 Instant and Thinking will be available via API later in the week.
• GPT 5.0 (Instant and Thinking) will remain accessible in ChatGPT under "Legacy Models" for paid subscribers for three months to allow for comparison.
• After this period, GPT 5.1 is expected to become the sole default model, with older models like GPT 4 and GPT 4.1 available in legacy dropdowns.
• The company aims to provide ample time for users to evaluate changes and provide feedback.

Overall Assessment and Use Cases [48:01]

• The GPT 5.1 update is considered useful, with improvements in most tested scenarios.
• The "Thinking" model, in particular, showed significant advantages in clarity, empathy, and adaptability.
• The ability to customize tone is a valuable feature for tasks like scriptwriting for videos.
• The speaker promotes their own resources for video creation, including prompt packs and an AI media machine tool.
• The update is seen as a positive step, making AI more capable and user-friendly.