OpenAI Launches ChatGPT o3-mini: A New AI Model Competing with DeepSeek

ChatGPT o3-mini: Faster Responses, Same Performance

OpenAI has introduced a new artificial intelligence model, o3-mini, available for free to ChatGPT users but with a daily query limit. This model is set to compete with the Chinese AI company DeepSeek, which has recently gained significant traction.

The company behind ChatGPT stated that although the o3-mini model is free, it comes with usage restrictions. According to OpenAI, o3-mini delivers performance comparable to its predecessor, o1-mini, in areas such as math problems, programming, and science but with improved processing speed and faster responses.

"Today's launch marks the beginning of free access for our users to reasoning capabilities—an important step toward expanding access to advanced artificial intelligence as part of our mission," OpenAI announced.

Who Can Access o3-mini?

• Free ChatGPT users: Limited access to o3-mini.
• Pro subscribers ($200/month): Unlimited access and the ability to use o3-mini-high, which provides more detailed responses but takes longer to generate them.
• Plus subscribers: Fewer restrictions, with a daily limit of 150 messages, compared to the free version.

New o3-mini capabilities

A significant improvement in o3-mini is its ability to provide updated responses that include links to the original sources, enhancing the accuracy and transparency of the information.

The capabilities of o3-mini were highlighted in the International AI Safety Report, published on Tuesday. The report’s lead author, Yoshua Bengio, stated that o3-mini’s advanced reasoning skills could pose major AI-related risks. He also revealed that in several tests, o3-mini outperformed human experts in reasoning tasks.

DeepSeek Banned in the U.S. and Taiwan

At the beginning of the week, shares of major tech companies dropped following the success of DeepSeek, whose AI model became the most downloaded AI app in the U.S.

Despite its popularity, U.S. and Taiwanese authorities blocked access to DeepSeek’s AI tool, citing national security risks. However, DeepSeek continues to gain traction internationally, positioning itself as a strong competitor to OpenAI in the AI race.