Unlock the Power of ChatGPT with OpenAI's New Subscription
Details of the New Subscription Plan
OpenAI confirmed leaks this morning and announced ChatGPT Pro, a new $200-per-month subscription tier. This provides users with unlimited access to all of OpenAI's models, giving them the ability to push the boundaries of what these models can do. Jason Wei, a member of OpenAI's technical staff, explained that the target audience for ChatGPT Pro are the power users who are already pushing the models to their limits in tasks like math, programming, and writing.
Unlike most AI models, o1 and other reasoning models effectively fact-check themselves. This helps them avoid common pitfalls but may take longer to arrive at solutions. O1 reasons through tasks by planning ahead and performing a series of actions to tease out answers. In September, OpenAI released a preview of o1, and this new version is more capable. Users can expect a faster, more powerful, and accurate reasoning model that is even better at coding and math.
New Features and Improvements
Specifically, o1 can now reason about image uploads, which was not possible during the preview. It has also been trained to be more concise in its thinking to improve response times. According to OpenAI's internal testing, o1 reduces "major errors" on "difficult real-world questions" by 34% compared to the preview version. Additionally, o1 will soon be available in OpenAI's API with new capabilities such as function calling and image analysis.
ChatGPT Pro subscribers will get an ostensibly better version of o1 called o1 pro mode. This mode "uses more compute for the best answers to the hardest questions." When using o1 pro mode, ChatGPT will display a progress bar and send an in-app notification if users switch away to another conversation as answers take longer to generate.
Grant Program for Medical Researchers
OpenAI also announced a grant program to award 10 grants of ChatGPT Pro to medical researchers at leading institutions. The company plans to add additional grants across "various disciplines" in the future, highlighting its commitment to advancing research.
Comparison with Other Subscriptions
ChatGPT Pro is easily OpenAI's most expensive subscription yet, being 10 times the cost of ChatGPT Plus. While many users already find ChatGPT Plus expensive, this new plan offers additional features and unlimited access. To sweeten the pot, ChatGPT Pro also includes unlimited access to GPT-4o and Advanced Voice Mode, providing a more human-like conversational experience.
Pressure on OpenAI and Future Outlook
The aggressive moves by OpenAI reflect the pressure from investors to narrow its losses. Despite generating $300 million in monthly revenue in August, the company expects to lose roughly $5 billion this year. Expenditures such as staffing, office rent, and AI training infrastructure are contributing to these losses. ChatGPT alone was reportedly costing OpenAI $700,000 per day at one point.