GPT-5.1 Brings Deeper, More Granular Conversational Personalization

OpenAI has released GPT-5.1, a significant iterative update to its flagship AI model that moves beyond raw intelligence to focus heavily on user control and conversational nuance. The update introduces a suite of new personalization tools, allowing users to fine-tune their chatbot's "personality" and communication style with unprecedented precision.

The update, which is rolling out to paid subscribers first, includes two new operational modes—GPT-5.1 Instant (for faster, "warmer" conversations) and GPT-5.1 Thinking (for complex, jargon-free reasoning)—and a completely overhauled personalization menu.

New Personality Presets
The core of the update is an expanded set of conversational "tone and style" presets. Users can now move beyond the default AI personality and select from a list of eight distinct styles to match their needs.

The new and refined personality options include:

Default: The standard, helpful ChatGPT response.

Professional: Delivers polished, precise, and formal language suitable for work.

Friendly: Offers a warm, chatty, and more empathetic tone.

Candid: Provides direct, clear, and honest feedback.

Quirky: Engages with playful, imaginative, and humorous ideas.

Efficient: Delivers concise, plain, and direct answers without extra words.

Nerdy: Explains concepts with enthusiasm, celebrating knowledge and discovery.

Cynical: Responds with a sarcastic, dry, and blunt wit.

Granular Controls and Instant Changes
Beyond these one-click presets, OpenAI is also experimenting with more granular controls, which will roll out to select users. These new settings will allow users to adjust specific characteristics of the AI's responses, such as:

Conciseness: How brief or detailed the answer is.

Warmth: The level of empathy and friendliness in the tone.

Scannability: How a response is formatted (e.g., with or without bullet points).

Emoji Frequency: Controlling how often the AI uses emojis.

A crucial quality-of-life improvement is that these personalization settings now apply immediately across all chats, including existing, ongoing conversations. Previously, any changes to custom instructions would only affect new chats, forcing users to start over.

The new GPT-5.1 models are also designed to be significantly better at "instruction following," meaning they will adhere more reliably to a user's custom instructions and selected personality, reducing the need to re-prompt the AI to behave in a certain way. This update signals a clear move by OpenAI to make its AI not just smarter, but a more adaptable and personal tool for its millions of users.