OpenAI rolls out GPT-5.1 to help developers ship faster
Updated on November 28, 2025 6 minutes read
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is GPT-5.1 in simple terms?
GPT-5.1 is an updated version of OpenAI’s GPT-5 model that powers both ChatGPT and the API. It adds new Instant and Thinking modes, adaptive reasoning and richer personality controls while keeping similar overall capabilities and price to GPT-5.
How does GPT-5.1 help developers ship code faster?
GPT-5.1 adjusts how much reasoning it does per request, so easy tasks finish with fewer tokens and lower latency while harder problems still get extra thinking time. New tools like the apply_patch code editor, a shell tool and 24-hour prompt caching make it easier to build agents that can edit, run and iterate on code with fewer manual steps.
Is GPT-5.1 available in the OpenAI API and how do I use it?
Yes. In the OpenAI platform you can call GPT-5.1 with model names like gpt-5.1 or gpt-5.1-chat-latest, and choose reasoning_effort levels from none to high depending on your latency and quality needs. For long-running coding work, you can also use gpt-5.1-codex, gpt-5.1-codex-mini or GPT-5.1-Codex-Max in Codex environments.
Does GPT-5.1 replace GPT-5 right away?
OpenAI keeps GPT-5 available for now but is clearly steering new features and investments toward GPT-5.1 and Codex-based models. Teams can migrate gradually by testing GPT-5.1 on specific endpoints or workflows, comparing speed, cost and quality before making it the default across their stack.