What is OpenAI o1, an AI model that ‘thinks’ before it answers?

Hi There,

OpenAI has just unveiled its latest AI model called o1, which marks the first in a series of reasoning models designed to handle complex questions more efficiently than humans. Alongside o1, OpenAI is also releasing a smaller and cheaper version called o1-mini. If you've been following AI developments, this is the much-anticipated Strawberry model you've probably heard about. Here are the 10 Key points about o1.

1. What Makes o1 Special?
o1 represents a big step toward OpenAI's long-term goal of creating human-like artificial intelligence. It's much better at solving complicated tasks like coding and multi-step problems compared to its predecessors, such as GPT-4o.

2. How Was o1 Trained?
Unlike earlier models that were trained to mimic patterns from their data, o1 uses a new approach called** reinforcement learning.** This means it learns by solving problems on its own, using rewards and penalties to get better over time. It also processes information step-by-step, similar to how humans think through problems. Basically it will think before giving the answer.

3. Improved Accuracy
Thanks to this new way of training, o1 is more accurate and makes fewer mistakes. While it still has some issues, it's less prone to hallucinations (generating incorrect or nonsensical answers) than earlier models.

4. Advanced Reasoning Abilities
o1 excels in areas like math and coding, where it significantly outperforms older models. For example, in a math test where GPT-4o scored only 13%, o1 scored an impressive 83%. In programming contests, it reached the 89th percentile, showing its strong reasoning skills.

5. Who Can Access o1 and How Much Does It Cost?
ChatGPT Plus and Team users can start using o1-preview and o1-mini right away. Enterprise and Edu users will get access soon after. However, developer access is quite expensive, with o1-preview costing $15 per 1 million input tokens and $60 per 1 million output tokens.

6. How Does o1 Compare to GPT-4o?
While o1 is great at complex problem-solving, it's not as strong in other areas like general knowledge. It also lacks the ability to browse the web or process files and images, which GPT-4o can do. However, OpenAI believes o1 represents a new class of capabilities that set it apart.

7. Human-Like Thought Process
One of the most interesting features of o1 is how it shows its thought process while solving problems. It uses phrases like "I'm curious about" and "I'm thinking through," giving the impression that it's reasoning like a human. This approach makes it easier to follow how o1 arrives at its answers, though it's important to remember that it's still just a machine.

8. Why is Reasoning Important?
OpenAI sees reasoning as a crucial step toward creating AI that can think more like humans. They believe that if AI can go beyond just recognizing patterns and start to reason, it could lead to breakthroughs in areas like medicine and engineering.

9. What's Next for o1?
OpenAI calls this release of o1 a preview to highlight that it's still in the early stages. While it shows a lot of promise, it's currently slower and more expensive than GPT-4o. OpenAI is continuing to develop this model with the goal of making it even better at reasoning.

10. A Step Toward the Future of AI
o1 is a glimpse into the future of AI, where machines can reason through problems more like humans. OpenAI believes this is just the beginning of what AI can achieve when it comes to handling complex tasks and making decisions on our behalf.

In summary, o1 is a significant leap forward in AI's ability to reason, offering improved accuracy and problem-solving skills. While it's not perfect, it's a promising step toward more advanced and human-like AI capabilities.

So, you better improve your coding skills by using AI. Thanks for reading.

Sources:
Open AI