OpenAI Launches o3-mini, a Cost-Effective AI Reasoning Model

The new model offers faster, more accurate STEM-focused reasoning and is now available to all ChatGPT users and developers via API.

OpenAI's o3-mini reasoning model is designed for advanced problem-solving in STEM fields, offering improved accuracy and faster performance than its predecessors.
The model introduces three reasoning effort levels—low, medium, and high—allowing users to balance speed and accuracy based on their needs.
o3-mini is 63% cheaper than the o1-mini model and available to all ChatGPT users, marking the first time a reasoning model is accessible to free-tier users.
Despite its cost-effectiveness and safety improvements, o3-mini faces competition from DeepSeek's open-source R1 model, which offers lower pricing and broader customization options.
The model supports integration via OpenAI's APIs and includes search capabilities for up-to-date answers, though vision functionality remains exclusive to earlier models like o1.