This most expensive AI model OpenAI ever released to its developer API so far, namely the o1-pro, offered a much stronger version of their earlier “reasoning” o1 model. The new one is described by the authors of the new project as promising better answers mainly because much greater computing powers have been utilized within it, which is certainly exciting. Nevertheless, the cost seems to be astronomical.
At $150 per million tokens for input and $600 per million tokens for output, o1-pro is priced substantially higher than OpenAI’s GPT-4.5, with input costs double and output costs a staggering ten times more expensive than regular o1. This makes it the priciest offering from OpenAI, intended for developers who need more robust and reliable AI performance.
The latest model will be available for developers who have spent a minimum of $5 on OpenAI API services. Despite that, although the company is optimistic that o1-pro’s additional abilities warrant the cost, initial users have given mixed reviews. Some users say they had trouble with basic tasks, such as a Sudoku puzzle, or comprehending jokes regarding optical illusion. Furthermore, internal tests at OpenAI showed that while o1-pro is more consistent at math and coding tasks, its improvements over the baseline o1 model were marginal.
Despite the lukewarm initial impressions, OpenAI is optimistic that the increased o1-pro computational resources will allow it to excel in more complex problem-solving. The model has been accessible to ChatGPT Pro users since December, and the performance improvements will be more pronounced in tasks that require more computational power along with deeper reasoning.
The company ultimately released the o1-pro after repeated requests from developers who needed an upgraded version of the o1 model that would have the capacity to resolve difficult problems with greater consistency. The company wishes to provide a more dependable AI tool for developers who are ready to pay extra for state-of-the-art performance, but no one is quite sure yet if o1-pro can truly deliver on its promises.
