OpenAI has introduced a new subscription tier for its ChatGPT platform, called ChatGPT Pro, which costs $200 per month. This plan offers users unlimited access to OpenAI’s models, including the advanced o1 "reasoning" model.
The target audience for ChatGPT Pro is users who require advanced capabilities, such as those using ChatGPT for complex tasks like math, programming, and writing. Jason Wei, a technical staff member at OpenAI, explained that these users push the limits of what the models can do, which is why the new plan caters to them.
The o1 model is notable for its ability to self-fact-check. This feature helps it avoid common errors by reasoning through tasks, planning ahead, and performing actions to determine the correct answers. However, the trade-off is that this process can take longer compared to other AI models.
Released in September as a preview, o1 has since improved. The new version is faster, more powerful, and better at coding and math. Notably, it now has the capability to reason through image uploads, which wasn’t available during the preview. OpenAI also claims that o1 is more concise in its thinking, reducing major errors in real-world questions by 34% compared to the previous version.
Despite improvements, o1's full version performs worse than the preview in some specific benchmarks, such as MLE-Bench, which measures how well AI handles machine learning engineering tasks.
As of now, all paid ChatGPT users can access the o1 model through the ChatGPT model selector. In the future, OpenAI plans to add support for features like web browsing and file uploads. The o1 model will also be available through OpenAI's API, offering new functionalities such as image analysis and function calling (integration with external tools).
ChatGPT Pro subscribers will have access to an enhanced version of o1, known as o1 pro mode. This mode uses more computing power to provide more accurate answers to complex questions. When using o1 pro mode, responses may take longer, and users will see a progress bar indicating the wait time. If users switch to another conversation while waiting, they will be notified.
In external tests, o1 pro mode delivered more accurate responses, particularly in areas such as data science, programming, and case law analysis. OpenAI reports a 75% reduction in errors for coding questions that reflect everyday programming tasks.
At $200 per month, ChatGPT Pro is significantly more expensive than OpenAI’s previous premium plan, ChatGPT Plus, which costs $20 per month. While this new price point may be a barrier for many users, ChatGPT Pro also includes additional features like unlimited access to GPT-4 and Advanced Voice Mode, a feature that allows for more natural conversational interactions.
To support research, OpenAI has announced a grant program to award 10 free subscriptions of ChatGPT Pro to medical researchers at top institutions, with plans to expand this initiative to other fields in the future.
OpenAI has long been rumored to be considering higher subscription fees. By 2029, it is expected that the price for ChatGPT Plus could rise to $44 per month. The company is also exploring high-end business subscription models, which would offer more functionality and access to advanced features under development.
These price increases reflect the financial pressures OpenAI faces, including expectations to narrow its losses. While the company earned $300 million in monthly revenue as of August, it is still projected to lose about $5 billion this year, mainly due to operational costs such as staffing and AI infrastructure. Despite this, ChatGPT remains one of OpenAI’s key revenue drivers, with over 300 million weekly active users, including around 10 million paying subscribers.
