Key Takeaways:
- GPT-4o is now available under the legacy models menu for paid users.
- Paid users can enable “Show additional models” in settings to access legacy models like o3 and GPT-4.1, along with GPT-5 Thinking mini.
- GPT-5 in the model picker now offers Auto, Fast, and Thinking modes, each with different performance trade-offs.
- Plus and Team users receive up to 3,000 messages per week on GPT-5 Thinking, with additional capacity via GPT-5 Thinking mini when the limit is reached.
- GPT-5 is now available for Enterprise and Education users.
- OpenAI plans to introduce a warmer, more familiar personality for GPT-5.
OpenAI has rolled out a series of updates to ChatGPT, expanding access to more models and giving users additional control over how they interact with the service. GPT-4o, the multimodal model that previously required specific settings to access, is now listed under the legacy models menu for all paid accounts. Users can enable “Show additional models” in settings to unlock even more choices, including earlier iterations such as o3 and GPT-4.1, as well as GPT-5 Thinking mini.
GPT-5, OpenAI’s flagship model, is now presented in three modes within the model picker: Auto, Fast, and Thinking. Fast prioritizes speed for users who want quick responses, while Thinking allocates more processing time to deliver deeper, more detailed answers. Auto automatically decides between the two depending on the complexity of the query, aiming to balance efficiency with thoroughness.
Plus and Team subscribers now have a weekly allowance of up to 3,000 messages on GPT-5 Thinking. When that limit is reached, GPT-5 Thinking mini provides extra capacity, ensuring uninterrupted use. These changes are designed to give users more flexibility in how they manage model capabilities and availability.
Enterprise and Education customers now have access to GPT-5, bringing advanced AI capabilities into organizational and academic settings. OpenAI indicates that this expansion is part of its strategy to make the latest AI tools available to a wider audience while tailoring options for different use cases.
Looking ahead, OpenAI plans to introduce a warmer and more familiar personality for GPT-5. While details remain limited, the change is intended to make interactions feel more engaging without compromising the model’s performance or accuracy.
These updates underscore OpenAI’s ongoing efforts to refine ChatGPT’s user experience by offering more choice in model selection, adjusting performance modes to match user needs, and expanding access across different customer tiers. They also reflect a shift toward personalization, as the planned personality update suggests the company sees value in balancing technical performance with a more approachable interaction style.
The changes also arrive as other AI providers introduce greater model choice and customization to retain user engagement. Competitors such as Anthropic, Google DeepMind, and Mistral have been positioning their platforms with specialized modes or task-tuned variants, emphasizing either raw performance or domain-specific accuracy. By offering tiered performance modes, legacy model access, and a path toward a more personalized interaction style, OpenAI is signaling that it intends to remain highly responsive to evolving user expectations.
In the broader AI market, these moves position ChatGPT to compete on both capability and adaptability. While rivals continue to differentiate through niche features, proprietary data integrations, or lower-cost APIs, OpenAI’s strategy appears focused on consolidating a broad user base and keeping them engaged with flexible access to its newest and most capable models. The combination of expanded availability, tailored performance options, and upcoming personality enhancements reflects an effort to defend market share in an increasingly crowded and fast-moving segment.
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Rich Tehrani serves as CEO of TMC and chairman of ITEXPO #TECHSUPERSHOW Feb 10-12, 2026 and is CEO of RT Advisors and is a Registered Representative (investment banker) with and offering securities through Four Points Capital Partners LLC (Four Points) (Member FINRA/SIPC). He handles capital/debt raises as well as M&A. RT Advisors is not owned by Four Points.
The above is not an endorsement or recommendation to buy/sell any security or sector mentioned. No companies mentioned above are current or past clients of RT Advisors.
The views and opinions expressed above are those of the participants. While believed to be reliable, the information has not been independently verified for accuracy. Any broad, general statements made herein are provided for context only and should not be construed as exhaustive or universally applicable.
Portions of this article may have been developed with the assistance of artificial intelligence, which may have contributed to ideation, content generation, factual review, or editing.
