COR Brief
Productivity & Business

OpenAI O1

OpenAI o1 is a reasoning-focused AI model trained using reinforcement learning to handle complex multi-step tasks with improved accuracy. It is designed to spend more time processing before responding, enabling it to solve challenging problems in domains such as science, coding, and mathematics. The model refines its reasoning strategies during training, allowing it to recognize mistakes and follow specific guidelines and safety policies effectively. OpenAI o1 demonstrates a 96% accuracy rate on ambiguous questions, closely matching the 97% accuracy of GPT-4o. Additionally, it achieves lower latency by using approximately 60% fewer reasoning tokens compared to its preview version. The model supports advanced features including function calling to connect with external data and APIs, structured outputs that comply with custom JSON schemas, developer messages for specifying tone and behavior, and vision capabilities to reason over images. These features make it suitable for developers building agentic applications, researchers in healthcare and physics, and users tackling complex workflows across various fields.

Updated Jan 20, 2026usage-based

OpenAI o1 is a reinforcement learning-based reasoning model designed for complex multi-step tasks with high accuracy and efficiency.

Pricing
Not fully disclosed; one source indicates $1.10 per input token but appears incomplete
Category
Productivity & Business
Company
Interactive PresentationOpen Fullscreen ↗
01
Enables seamless connection of the model to external data sources and APIs to enhance response capabilities.
02
Generates responses that reliably adhere to custom JSON Schema, facilitating integration with structured data workflows.
03
Allows specification of instructions or context such as tone, style, and behavioral guidance for tailored responses.
04
Supports reasoning over images, enabling applications in scientific research, manufacturing, and coding tasks.
05
Uses on average 60% fewer reasoning tokens than the o1-preview model, improving response efficiency.

Agentic Applications Development

Developers build AI agents for customer support, supply chain optimization, and financial forecasting using o1's reasoning capabilities.

Healthcare Research

Researchers annotate complex cell sequencing data leveraging the model's advanced reasoning.

Scientific Computation

Physicists generate complicated mathematical formulas for quantum optics and other scientific domains.

Multi-step Workflow Execution

Developers across various fields build and execute workflows requiring complex multi-step reasoning.

1
Gain API Access
Reach tier 5 usage tier in the OpenAI API to access the o1 model.
2
Select the Model
Choose o1 or o1-mini from the model picker in ChatGPT (for Plus/Team users) or via the API.
3
Use Chat Completions Endpoint
Access o1 through the v1/chat/completions API endpoint.
4
Implement Function Calling or Structured Outputs
Configure function calling to connect to external data and APIs, or use Structured Outputs for JSON Schema compliance.
5
Monitor Rate Limits
Be aware of weekly message limits (30 for o1-preview, 50 for o1-mini) at launch.
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Pricing
Model: usage-based
o1-preview
Not fully disclosed; one source indicates $1.10 per input token but appears incomplete
  • Access to advanced reasoning model
  • Weekly message limit of 30 messages for ChatGPT Plus and Team users
o1-mini
Approximately 80% cheaper than o1-preview
  • Lower cost alternative with reduced capabilities
  • Weekly message limit of 50 messages for ChatGPT Plus and Team users

Complete and current pricing details should be obtained directly from OpenAI's API pricing page.

Assessment
Strengths
  • Advanced reasoning enables handling of complex multi-step tasks in science, coding, and math with improved accuracy.
  • Achieves 96% accuracy on ambiguous questions, comparable to GPT-4o's 97%.
  • Reduces token usage by approximately 60% compared to the preview model, improving efficiency.
Limitations
  • Current pricing information is incomplete and not fully disclosed publicly.
  • Weekly message limits at launch may restrict usage for some ChatGPT Plus and Team users.
Alternatives