Since the first public release of ChatGPT back in late 2022, the company behind it – OpenAI – has continued to release more models, like DALL-E and GPT4. The latest release from OpenAI is ChatGPT o3-mini, a powerful new reasoning model which builds on the foundations of the previous o1-mini model.
This guide looks at the new features and improvements of ChatGPT o3-mini.
What Is ChatGPT o3-mini?

ChatGPT o3-mini is a reasoning model, aimed at helping users solve STEM problems, carry out coding tasks, and similar functions. Free users can access ChatGPT o3-mini by simply clicking the “Reason” button before entering a problem and sending it off to ChatGPT. Paid users, meanwhile, can access the more advanced version – ChatGPT o3-mini-high.
New Features and Improvements Introduced With ChatGPT o3-mini

ChatGPT o3-mini builds on the foundations established by the previous OpenAI reasoning model, o1-mini. It carries out mostly the same functions, but with key improvements in areas like speed, accuracy, and efficiency. Additions include:
Better Reasoning

With each successive model, AI technology is generally becoming smarter and more effective at its primary tasks. This is true for ChatGPT o3-mini, which is, overall, more intelligent than the previous o1-mini model. When presented with math problems, coding projects, and other STEM tasks, it performs consistently better, delivering more accurate and correct responses.
Faster Processing Times

In terms of processing times, o3-mini is more than 20% faster than the previous o1-mini model. It finds data, breaks down problems, and produces responses more quickly, so users do not need to wait around as long to get the information they need. This is helpful for those who may need to use a reasoning model like o3-mini multiple times a day as part of their work or academic efforts.
Real-Time Search Capacities
ChatGPT o3-mini also has the power to use search in order to source real-time information and deliver the most up-to-date responses. It can even include reference links to the latest web sources I its answers, which users can consult for further information. This feature is still in prototype mode at the mode, but should become a valuable and powerful part of the o3-mini feature set.
Developer Features
o3-mini is the first OpenAI reasoning model to offer a range of developer features on launch. Those features include developer messages, function calling, and structured outputs. This allows developers to tailor this tool to suit their exact needs and integrate its API with their existing toolsets and tech stacks more easily than previous models.
Multiple Reasoning Levels

ChatGPT o3-mini offers no less than three different reasoning modes: low, medium, and the aforementioned ChatGPT o3-mini-high mode. Even the low mode, which is best for basic problems, is more accurate and efficient than o1-mini. Meanwhile, ChatGPT o3-mini-high is the most intelligent model, capable of “thinking” the hardest to resolve complex problems.
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