When to Use Each ChatGPT Model, According to OpenAI
ChatGPT is based on more than just one AI model. On the contrary, there are many different models you can use to run your chatbot— even more if you pay for them . While you can experiment with each on your own, OpenAI has an opinion on when you should use each – the advice is only slightly hidden.
As noted by Bleeping Computer , OpenAI now has official advice on when is the best time to use each of its AI models. It was easy to miss because the tip in question is attached to a support document for ChatGPT Enterprise , the company’s business-grade subscription service. And while some advice only applies to business users, much of the advice here applies to everyone.
When to use GPT-4o
OpenAI advises users to use GPT-4o for everyday tasks. The company says this includes brainstorming, summarizing text, composing and discussing emails, and creative content—essentially what the average user can expect ChatGPT to be useful for.
Some examples of prompts that OpenAI offers include summarizing meeting notes into “key actions,” creating an email after a project launch, proofreading a report you wrote, or brainstorming a launch plan in “real time.” As a final request, OpenAI recommends that you upload sketches or screenshots to help the model answer.
When to use GPT-4.5
Earlier this year, OpenAI introduced a preview of GPT-4.5 . In fact, you’ll have to pay for ChatGPT to access it, and even then it’s a little hidden in the “More Models” section of the Model Selector.
If you have access to version 4.5, OpenAI thinks you should try it if you want a chatbot to help with tasks that include “emotional intelligence, clear communication, creativity, and a more collaborative, intuitive approach to brainstorming.” At first glance, I don’t know what to make of this, since OpenAI also recommends GPT-4o for “creative content,” but the company does offer sample tooltips.
For example, OpenAI thinks you should choose GPT-4.5 if you want to publish a “sweet” post on LinkedIn about AI trends. (Irony.) The company also recommends this model if your product is launching a new feature and you want an AI bot to write you a product description, or if you want to write an apology letter to a customer in a “sympathetic tone.”
It looks like the company wants you to use GPT-4.5 to replace most of your writing, including when you have to share a human moment with someone else. Personally, I will continue to write my emails myself.
When to Use ChatGPT Reasoning Models
Reasoning models take a slightly different approach to generative AI than other models. The goal is for the model to break problems down step by step and “think through” each move to ultimately produce a more “thoughtful” and complete result.
The company’s flagship reasoning model is o3 . The company recommends o3 for complex or multi-step tasks, including detailed plans and analysis, “extensive” coding, and complex mathematical, scientific, and visual reasoning. Based on the examples, OpenAI sees you asking o3 to perform a risk analysis to expand a market, develop a business strategy based on competitor data, or conduct a detailed analysis in a spreadsheet while forecasting the upcoming quarter.
I haven’t personally subjected o3 to any of these steps. However, last month I jumped on the viral trend of using this model for geo-guessing . I had mixed results, but what’s more interesting is that the results were about the same when using gpt-4o instead.
On the other hand, there are o4 reasoning models: o4-mini and o4-mini-high. According to OpenAI, they have more targeted use cases. o4-mini, for example, is designed for “quick technical tasks” such as extracting data points from a CSV file, summarizing a scientific paper, or fixing a problem in Python.
o4-mini-high, on the other hand, is also good for technical tasks, but especially more detailed ones – at least according to OpenAI. This may involve not only solving a complex math problem, but also providing step-by-step guidance or explaining a complex scientific concept in everyday language.
While all users can access o4-mini, only paid subscribers can use o4-mini-high and o3. Free users also have limited access to o4-mini.
Despite the advice given here, I still haven’t found any regular use for any of the ChatGPT models. I don’t program, so I can’t speak to the bot’s ability to help with this, and I don’t enjoy creating AI art . What chatbots do best, which is generating text, I do myself (I like to call it “writing”), and I have no interest in outsourcing that work to a bot. For now, the main thing I’ll continue to use ChatGPT for is testing new features, which we’ll cover here.
Perhaps a company like OpenAI will release a generative AI feature, which I regularly find useful. It just hasn’t happened yet.