On Thursday, Sam Altman and his team launched the “12 Days of OpenAI” event with a live stream, unveiling the fully operational version of its 01 reasoning model along with a new subscription option, ChatGPT Pro. However, fans eager for unlimited access to these fresh features will need to pay a hefty $200 each month.
The 01 model, originally dubbed Project Strawberry, was first introduced in September as a preview, alongside a lighter version known as o1-mini, available to ChatGPT-Plus subscribers. What sets the 01 model apart from typical large language models (LLMs) is its ability to verify its own facts before providing a response to users. This self-checking capability could help diminish inaccuracies but may result in longer processing times and slower replies.
Nevertheless, these models excel at delivering answers to intricate queries in fields like science, programming, and mathematics at a pace that often surpasses human capability. OpenAI’s internal assessments indicate that the new 01 model reduces significant inaccuracies on complex real-world inquiries by 34% compared to its preview version.
This latest model is now accessible to ChatGPT Plus and Team users via the model selection tool on the ChatGPT website. Enterprise and educational subscribers will gain access next week. While users will initially find they cannot upload files or browse the web with the new 01, OpenAI has announced plans to incorporate these functionalities in the future.
Additionally, OpenAI has introduced its all-inclusive subscription tier, ChatGPT Pro, priced at $200 per month. This subscription allows users unlimited access to all of OpenAI’s models, including GPT-4o, the complete version of 01, and Advanced Voice Mode. Subscribers to Pro will also enjoy exclusive entry to 01 Pro mode, which utilizes enhanced computing power to provide the best responses to the toughest questions, according to the company.
OpenAI has faced considerable pressure from investors to curb its financial losses, which have previously reached an estimated $700,000 per day for ChatGPT’s operations. Recently, the company proposed the possibility of incorporating ads into its chat results as a revenue-generating strategy and indicated intentions to charge enterprise customers over $2,000 per month for elite access. Reports suggest that OpenAI may consider increasing ChatGPT Plus subscriptions to as high as $44 monthly by 2029. Whether users will be inclined to pay such prices for a tool that can still produce incorrect answers remains uncertain.
