OpenAI has officially launched GPT-4.1 and GPT-4.1 mini inside ChatGPT, marking a significant update aimed at enhancing the platform’s performance for developers and general users alike. The update, announced Wednesday on X, brings faster, more responsive AI models that are particularly strong in code generation and instruction following.
GPT-4.1 is now rolling out to paying subscribers on ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team plans. Meanwhile, GPT-4.1 mini is available for both free and paid users. As part of this rollout, OpenAI is retiring GPT-4.0 mini across all tiers.
OpenAI’s spokesperson Shaokyi Amdo noted that GPT-4.1 delivers faster reasoning and superior coding performance than its predecessor, GPT-4o. While it doesn’t add new interaction modes or overtake GPT-4o in general intelligence, it offers better instruction adherence and is particularly well-suited for software engineering tasks like debugging or code completion.
A Model Without Frontier Risk
The GPT-4.1 models were initially released through OpenAI’s API in April. However, that launch drew scrutiny from researchers who pointed out the absence of a safety report—a move some saw as a shift in OpenAI’s transparency standards. Responding to those concerns, the company maintained that GPT-4.1, while faster and more capable in certain areas, doesn’t qualify as a “frontier model” and therefore didn’t require the same level of safety disclosures.
Johannes Heidecke, OpenAI’s Head of Safety Systems, explained on X that GPT-4.1 does not surpass OpenAI’s o3 model in intelligence, nor does it introduce new modalities. Because of this, the safety risks, while real, are considered more manageable.
OpenAI is also using this moment to reinforce its stance on AI safety. On Wednesday, the company launched a new Safety Evaluations Hub, where it plans to publish ongoing internal safety assessments for all its models. This step is intended to build trust by offering the public more consistent insights into how these AI systems are evaluated for risk.
The timing of the GPT-4.1 rollout also aligns with a surge in AI tool adoption, especially in the software development world. OpenAI is rumored to be finalizing a $3 billion acquisition of Windsurf, a leading AI-powered coding tool. On the same day, Google updated its Gemini chatbot to integrate more seamlessly with GitHub, highlighting the fierce competition in the AI-assisted coding space.
