Notes on OpenAI's new o1 chain-of-thought models

Simon Willison reviews OpenAI's new 'o1' chain-of-thought models 'o1-preview' and 'o1-mini'. Focusing on models trained for complex reasoning, Willison examines their API, hidden reasoning tokens, and examples. He critiques their lack of transparency but recognizes the potential in sophisticated AI tasks.

• New OpenAI models introduce improved reasoning.
• o1 models are not as simple as a GPT-4 extension.
• API access is restricted to high-spend accounts.
• Models employ hidden reasoning tokens for billing.
• OpenAI's policy decision on token visibility is contested.