ChatGPT launches $200 monthly tier for power users

The artificial intelligence company OpenAI has unveiled significant updates to its ChatGPT service, including a new premium subscription tier and improvements to its reasoning model.

Key announcements: During its “12 days of OpenAI” event, OpenAI revealed a $200 monthly ChatGPT Pro subscription and launched the complete version of its reasoning model, o1.

• The new o1 model can now process both images and text, similar to GPT-4
• Processing speeds have improved significantly, with o1 completing tasks in less than half the time of its preview version
• Error rates have decreased by 34 percent compared to the preview version

Technical improvements: The updated o1 model demonstrates substantial performance enhancements across multiple benchmarks and capabilities.

• The system shows marked improvements in math and coding benchmarks, including AIME 2024 and Codeforces
• Modest gains were observed in PhD-level science benchmarks (GPQA Diamond)
• Further speed improvements are expected as GPU deployment continues

Premium features: The new ChatGPT Pro subscription introduces enhanced capabilities aimed at professional users.

• Subscribers gain access to “o1 Pro Mode,” offering deeper reasoning capabilities
• The service provides additional processing power for complex problem-solving
• OpenAI positions the service for researchers, engineers, and professionals who require research-grade AI capabilities

Expert feedback: Early testing of the new features has yielded mixed but promising results.

• AI researcher Ethan Mollick notes that while the improvements are significant, they may only benefit users with specific, complex problems to solve
• External expert testers report improved accuracy in specialized areas like data science, programming, and case law analysis
• The system’s reliability is measured by its ability to solve problems correctly in multiple attempts

Deployment timeline: The rollout of these new features follows a structured schedule to different user groups.

• ChatGPT Plus and Team users can access the full version of o1 immediately
• Enterprise and educational users will receive access the following week
• The ChatGPT Pro subscription availability is still pending for some accounts

Future implications: While these improvements mark significant progress in AI capabilities, the high subscription cost and specialized nature of the improvements suggest OpenAI is targeting professional users rather than casual consumers, potentially signaling a shift in the company’s market strategy.