Introduction to GPT-4.1
On Monday, OpenAI announced the GPT-4.1 model family, its newest series of AI language models that brings a 1 million token context window to OpenAI for the first time. This new model family includes three versions: GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and GPT-4.1 nano. According to OpenAI, these models outperform GPT-4o in several key areas.
What’s New in GPT-4.1
The 1 million token context window—essentially the amount of text the AI can process at once—allows these models to ingest roughly 3,000 pages of text in a single conversation. This puts OpenAI’s context windows on par with Google’s Gemini models, which have offered similar extended context capabilities for some time. However, in an unusual move, GPT-4.1 will only be available through the developer API, not in the consumer ChatGPT interface where most people interact with OpenAI’s technology.
Changes to Existing Models
At the same time, the company announced it will retire the GPT-4.5 Preview model in the API—a temporary offering launched in February that one critic called a "lemon"—giving developers until July 2025 to switch to something else. However, it appears GPT-4.5 will stick around in ChatGPT for now.
The Problem of Confusing Names
If this sounds confusing, well, that’s because it is. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged OpenAI’s habit of terrible product names in February when discussing the roadmap toward the long-anticipated (and still theoretical) GPT-5. The company’s model and product offerings have become complicated, with a crowded list of choices like GPT-4o, various specialized GPT-4o versions, GPT-4o mini, the simulated reasoning o1-pro, o3-mini, and o3-mini-high models, and GPT-4.
Future Plans
The stated goal for GPT-5 will be consolidation, a branding move to unify o-series models and GPT-series models. However, launching another distinctly numbered model, GPT-4.1, seems to contradict this plan. It’s hard to say how this new model fits into the grand unification plan, as Altman foreshadowed this kind of ambiguity in March 2024, telling Lex Friedman the company had major releases coming but was unsure about names.
Conclusion
In conclusion, OpenAI’s new GPT-4.1 model family brings significant improvements to the company’s language models, including a 1 million token context window. However, the confusing naming conventions and the decision to make GPT-4.1 only available through the developer API may cause frustration for some users. As OpenAI continues to work towards the release of GPT-5, it remains to be seen how the company will simplify its product offerings and naming conventions.
FAQs
- What is GPT-4.1? GPT-4.1 is OpenAI’s newest series of AI language models, which includes three versions: GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and GPT-4.1 nano.
- What’s new in GPT-4.1? The 1 million token context window allows these models to ingest roughly 3,000 pages of text in a single conversation.
- Will GPT-4.1 be available in ChatGPT? No, GPT-4.1 will only be available through the developer API.
- What’s happening to GPT-4.5? The GPT-4.5 Preview model in the API will be retired, but it will stick around in ChatGPT for now.
- What’s the plan for GPT-5? The stated goal for GPT-5 is consolidation, a branding move to unify o-series models and GPT-series models.
