In response to stress from rivals together with Chinese language AI firm DeepSeek, OpenAI is altering the way in which its latest AI mannequin, o3-mini, communicates its step-by-step “thought” course of.
On Thursday, OpenAI introduced that free and paid customers of ChatGPT, the corporate’s AI-powered chatbot platform, will see an up to date “chain of thought” that reveals extra of the mannequin’s “reasoning” steps and the way it arrived at solutions to questions. Subscribers to premium ChatGPT plans who use o3-mini within the “high reasoning” configuration may also see this up to date readout, in accordance with OpenAI.
“We’re introducing an updated [chain of thought] for o3-mini designed to make it easier for people to understand how the model thinks,” an OpenAI spokesperson informed TechCruch by way of e-mail. “With this update, you will be able to follow the model’s reasoning, giving you more clarity and confidence in its responses.”
Reasoning fashions like o3-mini completely fact-check themselves earlier than giving out outcomes, which helps them to keep away from a number of the pitfalls that usually journey up fashions. The trade-off is that reasoning fashions take a bit longer to reach at options — sometimes seconds to minutes longer.
DeepSeek’s R1 mannequin, a “reasoning” mannequin alongside the traces of o3-mini, reveals its full thought course of, which many AI researchers argue is the popular method. Along with making the mannequin simpler to review, the reasoning steps ship a greater consumer expertise in sure conditions, serving to point out when the mannequin could be on the suitable — or incorrect — monitor.
OpenAI had opted to not present the complete reasoning steps for o3-mini and its predecessors, o1 and o1-mini, partially on account of aggressive causes. As a substitute, customers solely noticed summaries of the reasoning steps — summaries that have been at occasions misguided.
After we briefed folks on 🍓 earlier than o1-preview’s launch, seeing the CoT dwell was normally the “aha” second for them that made it clear this was going to be a giant deal. These aren’t the uncooked CoTs nevertheless it’s a giant step nearer and I am glad we are able to share that have with the world. https://t.co/72ZpPrHmfK
— Noam Brown (@polynoamial) February 6, 2025
OpenAI nonetheless isn’t displaying o3-mini’s full reasoning steps, however the firm mentioned it “found a balance”: o3-mini can “think freely” after which arrange its “thoughts” into extra detailed summaries.
“To improve clarity and safety, we’ve added an additional post-processing step where the model reviews the raw chain of thought, removing any unsafe content, and then simplifies any complex ideas,” the OpenAI spokesperson continued. “Additionally, this post-processing step enables non-English users to receive the chain of thought in their native language, creating a more accessible and friendly experience.”
In a Reddit AMA final week, Kevin Weil, OpenAI’s chief product officer, hinted that the change was coming.
“We’re working on showing a bunch more than we show today — [showing the model thought process] will be very, very soon,” he mentioned. “TBD on all — showing all chain of thought leads to competitive distillation, but we also know people (at least power users) want it, so we’ll find the right way to balance it.”
