OpenAI is rolling out a pair of new artificial intelligence models that mimic the process of human reasoning to field more complicated coding questions and visual tasks, the latest in a flurry of releases from the company to fend off renewed competition in the US and China. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first model, called o3, spends more time computing an answer before responding to user prompts, with the goal of solving more complex multistep problems related to science, math and coding,\u00a0the company said Wednesday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
OpenAI is also releasing a model called o4-mini that performs well\u00a0in\u00a0similar categories\u00a0but\u00a0is meant to be more compact and nimble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both\u00a0are now available to OpenAI\u2019s\u00a0paid users.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
OpenAI\u00a0said o3 and o4-mini are its\u00a0first reasoning models that are able to respond by using\u00a0all of ChatGPT\u2019s tools, including browsing the web and\u00a0generating and analyzing images. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The models are also the first from OpenAI that integrate visual information into the reasoning process, the company said, allowing\u00a0the\u00a0new systems to process blurry pictures as well as rotate or zoom in on photos while carrying out\u00a0tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
OpenAI kicked off a frenzy around generative AI in late 2022 with the launch of ChatGPT, which was originally powered by a\u00a0model called GPT-3.5. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since then, the company has released a series of increasingly sophisticated systems, including multiple reasoning models. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But OpenAI also faces heightened pressure from Chinese upstart DeepSeek, Anthropic and Elon Musk\u2019s xAI, among others, which have released a steady stream of AI models that have a range of similar, cutting-edge capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coding, in particular, has become a fast-growing application for\u00a0generative AI \u2014\u00a0and a key\u00a0battleground\u00a0for OpenAI. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anthropic and <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Google have both played up the coding capabilities of their newer AI systems.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other startups, including\u00a0Cursor maker Anysphere, have also gained traction\u00a0with AI tools for programmers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To better compete in that crowded market, OpenAI announced the release of\u00a0Codex CLI, an AI agent meant to work with models such as o3 and help people with coding tasks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The product is open-source, meaning it will be freely available to users. It also runs directly on a user\u2019s computer, working through the device\u2019s terminal software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman has\u00a0previously said<\/a>\u00a0the company is working on an open version of a reasoning model\u00a0to be released in the coming months, following DeepSeek\u2019s viral success with its open-source system, R1. <\/p>\n\n\n\n