On November 12, 2025, the team at OpenAI quietly dropped a big update: GPT-5.1. This isn’t just a slight polish — it’s a thoughtful reimagining of how we talk to AI. And GitHub, was the most exited to announce the addition of the new models, to their GitHub Copilot.
ChatGPT-5.1 introduces two main flavors: “Instant” and “Thinking.”
- Instant aims to keep things quick — fast answers but with a smarter, more adaptive reasoning layer, so even tricky questions get decent responses at lightning speed.
- Thinking takes its time: digesting complexity, producing clearer, better-structured answers (less jargon, more sense), ideal for deeper tasks.
For those who like a “set-and-forget” approach, the existing “Auto” mode still lives on — now enhanced to pick the best variant based on what you ask.
Importantly: the older GPT-5 remains available (as a legacy option) for about three months — giving users time to compare and transition on their own terms.
More personality — ChatGPT gets a makeover
One of the coolest new bits? Tone and personality controls. With GPT-5.1 you’re no longer stuck with “cold AI.” Instead you get to choose how your digital assistant speaks.
Presets now include: Default, Friendly, Efficient, Professional, Candid, and Quirky — with “Cynical” and “Nerdy” still in the mood menu for the more… eccentric among us.
Want chatty and playful? Or crisp and professional? You can. And changes apply globally across all existing conversations — no need to start afresh.
🎯 Fun fact
For the first time, a “personality-preset” style lets you shape the tone, warmth, and even emoji-use frequency of AI replies. It’s like giving ChatGPT a mood ring.
From research to shopping — ChatGPT gets real-life superpowers
GPT-5.1 is not just about text tone or brainpower. The latest update makes ChatGPT noticeably more practical in everyday life:
- Shopping Research Mode: Ask something like “I need a quiet cordless vacuum for a small apartment” — and ChatGPT will help you compare options, deep-dive into reviews, and even suggest trade-offs. Great for holiday-gift hunting.
- More Inline Images: Visual answers where it helps — think maps, charts, images inside the same chat flow. Makes explanations more intuitive.
- Integrated Voice + Text + Visuals: If you prefer voice chat, GPT-5.1 lets you speak and receive responses as audio, while also showing you the typed answer, images or widgets — all in one conversation. Handy while cooking, multitasking, or just browsing casually.
So ChatGPT starts to feel less like a “robot in a terminal” and more like a helpful assistant — whether you’re researching, shopping, learning, or planning.
What this means for users
- Speed or depth? You get to choose. Instant when you want quick help; Thinking when you want thorough, nuanced responses.
- Your ChatGPT, your flavor. Whether you like friendly banter, crisp professionalism, or cheeky quirkiness — GPT-5.1 adapts.
- Practical utility spikes. Need help picking a gift, cooking while asking questions, or just browsing casually with voice + visuals? This release leans into real-life usefulness.
- Smooth transition. If you liked old GPT-5, no problem — it’s still there for a while. Try GPT-5.1 at your own pace.
Why GPT-5.1 matters more than you think
GPT-5.1 feels like an inflection point. Previously, powerful but a bit robotic; now — smarter, warmer, and more useful. It’s a shift from “AI as tool” to “AI as assistant.”
It’s not just about generating text, it’s about adapting to you — your style, your pace, your needs. And that subtle shift can change how we interact with AI daily: more naturally, more frequently, more confidently.
In short: GPT-5.1 doesn’t just give you better answers. It gives you a better conversation.
For the full release notes, please visit OpenAI’s official release notes page here.
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