ChatGPT 5.1: The New Features That Actually Matter

OpenAI has released ChatGPT 5.1, the first major upgrade to the GPT-5 series — and in this video, I take you through a full, practical comparison of GPT-5 vs GPT-5.1. We test instruction-following, tone, reasoning, the new Instant and Thinking modes, and the brand-new personalisation settings. If you want to know how the new model actually behaves in real work tasks, this walkthrough will help. Exciting AI news! 🚀 ChatGPT has launched ChatGPT 5.1, the first update to the groundbreaking model. This chat gpt update focuses on smarter and more conversational abilities, according to openai news and various tech news outlets. Stay tuned for a deep dive into chatgpt new features! ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction: OpenAI launches ChatGPT 5.1 00:35 – What ChatGPT 5.1 claims to improve 01:00 – Why the upgrade was needed: warmth, tone, and instruction-following 01:40 – Instant vs Thinking: the two new model variants 02:30 – Website comparison: what 5.1 promises to fix 03:00 – Testing “6-word answer” consistency 03:35 – Performance: fast on easy tasks, deeper on complex tasks 04:00 – Inside ChatGPT: seeing the new 5.1 model options 04:25 – GPT-5 Instant test: executive summary prompt 05:00 – GPT-5.1 Instant test: tighter response? 05:40 – Instruction-following test: exactly 5 bullets, under 12 words 06:35 – Does GPT-5.1 Instant do better? 07:30 – Reasoning test (5.1 Instant): AI capability plan 08:20 – Reasoning test (5.1 Thinking): deeper structured answer 09:15 – Comparing 5.1 Thinking vs 5.0 Thinking 10:00 – GPT-5 Thinking: still good but not as refined 10:45 – Overall verdict on reasoning & structure 11:10 – Email test: professional, calm, no hype 11:55 – 5.1 Instant email: slightly warmer output 12:30 – New personalisation settings & tone options 13:20 – First-look verdict: subtle but positive improvements 14:00 – Final thoughts: will 5.1 become the default model? 🔍 What you’ll learn in this video How GPT-5.1 differs from GPT-5 in real-world use Whether the new model is truly warmer and better at following instructions How Instant and Thinking behave on the same prompts Whether 5.1 fixes the “doom loop” of endless follow-up questions How accurate the 5.1 claims are based on actual tests New tone presets and style controls inside ChatGPT Whether upgrading to 5.1 is worth it for your work 🧪 Tests included Executive summaries Instruction-following challenges AI strategy plan creation Tone and style consistency Email drafting Legacy vs new model reasoning Why this matters If you rely on ChatGPT for work, leadership, teaching, policy, reports or content creation, these changes can make day-to-day outputs feel cleaner, more stable and easier to control. The improvements aren’t dramatic, but they do make ChatGPT more usable and predictable — especially with the new tone presets. ⬇️ Comment below Once you get access to ChatGPT 5.1, let me know what you find. Is it better? Warmer? More reliable? I’ll test anything you suggest in future videos. 🔗 Try Consensus free or Pro with my link: https://get.consensus.app/theprofessorai 🔗 More AI tool tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv3NnKZajcvyjdYbVfw5TJ_oyXuvCl73J Use the Free Prompt Builder - https://www.theprofessor.info/promptbuilder (you will need to log in, but it is FREE) The link to register and join the 30-day free trial. Experience Collective at: https://white.space/request-a-free-trial Nord VPN: https://go.nordvpn.net/aff_c?offer_id=15&aff_id=117754&url_id=902 Opus Clips: https://www.opus.pro/?via=24b63c Get started with SEOWriting AI: https://seowriting.ai/?fp_ref=professor24 Coupon Code for 25% off - PROFESSOR25 Want to start a YouTube channel - I would start here https://vidiq.com/TheProfessor Connect with me: Twitter/X: @TheProfessorAI Blog: https://www.theprofessor.info/ Get all the Prompts - https://www.theprofessor.info/documents