OpenAI Launches GPT-5.1 with New Personality Presets

13 Nov 2025 OpenAI is rolling out GPT-5.1, an update to the GPT-5 family that it says “makes ChatGPT smarter and more enjoyable to talk to.” The release introduces two variants: GPT‑5.1 Instant — described as “warmer, more intelligent, and better at following your instructions” — and GPT‑5.1 Thinking, which OpenAI says is “easier to understand and faster on simple tasks, and more persistent on complex ones.” ChatGPT will often auto-match queries to the model best suited to respond. The company plans to begin a staggered rollout to ChatGPT users this week, and the prior GPT‑5 models will remain available in the legacy model dropdown for three months before being removed. As part of the update, OpenAI expanded ChatGPT’s personality presets (Default, Professional, Friendly, Candid, Quirky, Efficient, Nerdy, and Cynical) and is piloting a new settings-based experiment to let users fine-tune the assistant’s style. Fidji Simo noted that, with over 800 million ChatGPT users, one-size-fits-all isn’t sufficient. The announcement comes after mixed reactions to the initial GPT‑5 launch — which some users found underwhelming and prompted OpenAI to re-add GPT‑4o — and amid Microsoft’s growing use of Anthropic models. The company also recently launched the ChatGPT Atlas browser with an agent mode for Plus and Pro users. Source