OpenAI upgrades ChatGPT and Codex with new GPT-6.1 Terra model

Earth is back. Last month, when OpenAI released the GPT-6 models Sol and Luna, its medium-sized model Terra was left out of the update. Now, OpenAI has upgraded Terra from GPT-5.6 to GPT-6.1. The company says the new model is faster, better at using computers, and cheaper.

GPT-6.1 Terra is OpenAI’s new medium-sized model, balancing intelligence and cost

OpenAI currently has four main model types, ordered from the lowest cost and capability to the highest: Luna, Terra, Sol, and Astra.

The release of GPT-6.1 Terra today appears to offer a good way to get more work done over longer periods without spending as much money.

Here are the main details from the announcement:

We’re introducing GPT-6.1 Terra, a fast, efficient model that can understand visual information in detail, use computers accurately, and write more clearly and naturally. It is a major improvement over GPT-5.6 Terra. It is especially good at communication and computer tasks people do during the workday, such as writing proposals, understanding technical drawings, filling out forms, and editing videos.

OpenAI says GPT-6.1 Terra costs 50% less than the older GPT-5.6 Terra model it replaces, even though the new model is more capable. This makes it a useful choice for automating computer tasks at a lower cost.

OpenAI also says Terra has become more intelligent and accurate:

In OpenAI’s internal test using prompts designed to cause errors, the error rate with low reasoning effort dropped from 53.6% for GPT-5.6 Terra to 16.7% for GPT-6.1 Terra. That is a decrease of nearly 37 percentage points. With the highest reasoning effort, the error rate fell by 18 percentage points to 4.3%. This is almost as low as the error rates for GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol.

The new GPT-6.1 Terra model is available today through ChatGPT Work, Codex, and the API. You can learn more about this medium-sized model here.