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SAN FRANCISCO: The much-anticipated GPT-4.1 release by OpenAI has officially gone live, with the company confirming the launch of its GPT-4.1 and GPT-4.1 mini models via X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday. The update is now available to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team subscribers, while GPT-4.1 mini is also accessible to users on the free tier.
OpenAI spokesperson Shaokyi Amdo highlighted that GPT-4.1 offers notable improvements in software development tasks, including more efficient code writing and debugging. Compared to its predecessor GPT-4o, the new version shows better instruction adherence, improved reasoning skills, and faster performance across multiple tasks.
The latest GPT-4.1 release by OpenAI also marks the retirement of GPT-4.0 mini, which has now been phased out following its successor’s rollout. While GPT-4.1 and its mini version were initially introduced via the developer API in April 2024, their debut wasn’t without scrutiny. Members of the AI research community raised concerns over the absence of a detailed safety report at launch.
GPT-4.1 Does Not Qualify as ‘Frontier Model’
Responding to the criticism, OpenAI maintained that GPT-4.1 did not qualify as a “frontier model” and therefore didn’t require formal transparency measures. Johannes Heidecke, OpenAI’s Head of Safety Systems, added that GPT-4.1 “doesn’t introduce new modalities or surpass o3 in intelligence,” implying a lower risk level.
Alongside the model rollout, OpenAI unveiled a Safety Evaluations Hub, pledging to make internal safety assessments more transparent and accessible to the public moving forward.
The launch comes amid intensifying competition in the AI development tools space. OpenAI is reportedly close to finalizing a $3 billion acquisition of Windsurf, a popular AI coding platform. Meanwhile, Google expanded its Gemini chatbot with GitHub integration on the same day, underscoring the growing demand for developer-centric AI solutions.
