lipflip – OpenAI states that GPT-5.1 outperforms GPT-5 across speed and reasoning tasks. In real-world testing, response times feel nearly identical. GPT-5 already handled most common prompts without difficulty. As a result, marginal improvements are hard to notice.
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The most visible change appears in emotionally sensitive conversations. When asked about anxiety or personal stress, GPT-5.1 sounds slightly kinder. Its phrasing feels more supportive and considerate. This warmth appears only when the prompt invites emotional engagement. Technical or gaming-related questions show little tonal difference.
This aligns with OpenAI’s claim of a more empathetic default personality. Earlier in 2025, OpenAI reduced friendliness in GPT-4o to avoid excessive agreeableness. GPT-5.1 cautiously reverses that approach. The result feels balanced but restrained. Because chatbot behavior varies by context, user experiences will differ. Short conversations may not reveal deeper improvements. Casual testing suggests GPT-5.1 behaves much like GPT-5. Overall, performance gains exist, but they feel incremental rather than obvious.
More noticeable benefits appear during extended interactions, where responses maintain consistency, show improved emotional calibration, and better manage disagreement. These refinements enhance trust and usability for complex tasks, even if they remain subtle and unlikely to impress users expecting dramatic shifts in capability.
Personality Presets and Custom Instructions Offer Limited Depth
GPT-5.1 updates existing personality presets and adds new ones. Listener becomes Friendly, while Robot changes to Efficient. OpenAI also introduces Candid, Professional, and Quirky options. These presets mainly affect tone in open-ended interactions.
In practice, the differences are modest and situational, emerging more clearly in conversational prompts than task-focused queries. The system favors subtle tonal shifts over dramatic behavioral changes, reinforcing consistency and safety rather than enabling highly expressive or role-specific personalities.
Simple greetings show the clearest differences. Quirky uses playful language and imagery. Efficient responds briefly with minimal flair. When prompts become technical or factual, personality influence fades quickly. The core response structure remains unchanged.
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Custom instructions still provide the most control. OpenAI claims GPT-5.1 follows instructions more consistently. In short tests, GPT-5 and GPT-5.1 perform similarly. Specific personas, such as a 1990s surfer style, work on both models. Any advantage may emerge only during longer conversations.
Overall, the personality system feels conservative. Small wording changes do not create distinct characters. For future updates, users may expect deeper consistency and adaptability. GPT-5.1 points toward that goal, but the shift remains subtle and evolutionary.
The model appears optimized for reliability over expressiveness, prioritizing predictable behavior across contexts. While this reduces surprises, it may limit creative experimentation. Meaningful differentiation will likely require stronger memory, persona persistence, and finer-grained control beyond current instruction mechanisms.