The recent announcement from OpenAI marks a significant update in the evolution of its multimodal GPT AI models. On Wednesday, OpenAI disclosed that the new GPT-4.1 would be available to all paid ChatGPT account holders. This rollout includes users on Plus, Pro, or Team plans, who can now access the new model through the model picker dropdown menu. However, it's important to note that free users will not benefit from this update at this time.
While free users are currently excluded, OpenAI has assured that Enterprise and Edu users will gain access to GPT-4.1 in the coming weeks. This move signifies OpenAI's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of its AI offerings for various user tiers, ensuring that a broader audience can leverage the advancements in AI technology.
In addition to the standard GPT-4.1, OpenAI is also replacing the previous GPT-4o mini with the new GPT-4.1 mini as the default model across all ChatGPT accounts, including those that are free. This shift aims to provide users with a more efficient and cost-effective AI solution while maintaining high performance standards.
Both GPT-4.1 and GPT-4.1 mini have been optimized specifically for coding tasks and instruction following. According to OpenAI, these new models outperform their predecessors, GPT-4o and GPT-4o mini, “across the board.” One of the standout features of these models is their ability to support a one million context token window. This capability allows the AI to process a significantly larger amount of text, images, or videos in a single prompt, far exceeding the previous limit of 128,000 tokens set by GPT-4o.
OpenAI has highlighted that speed improvements in GPT-4.1 make it particularly appealing for everyday coding tasks. The advancements in this model are expected to provide users with a more efficient experience compared to the powerful OpenAI o3 & o4-mini reasoning models introduced in April.
Last month, OpenAI made GPT-4.1 and GPT-4.1 mini available to developers, alongside the new GPT-4.1 nano model. OpenAI has described GPT-4.1 nano as its “smallest, fastest, and cheapest” offering to date. However, it remains unclear when or if this model will become generally available within ChatGPT, leaving users eager for more information.
In summary, the rollout of GPT-4.1 and GPT-4.1 mini represents a major stride forward in AI capabilities, enhancing both performance and efficiency for paid users while expanding future access for educational and enterprise stakeholders.
