What Is O1 and Why Does It Matter?

TLDR: The O1 model from OpenAI gives GenAI tools better memory, more reliable answers, and improved task follow-through. If your team is already testing AI for writing, briefs, or internal queries, O1 matters. It reduces hallucinations, handles multi-step instructions better, and offers more stable behaviour for daily business tasks.

Most people won’t notice when the underlying AI model changes.

But your team will feel it when ChatGPT starts remembering what they said five minutes ago. Or when it finally stops making up half the references in a client brief. That’s what the O1 upgrade is for.

I’ve been testing this with clients across councils, agencies, and service teams. The difference isn’t just technical - it’s practical. It means fewer rewrites. Less checking for fake numbers. And answers that stay consistent across a full task, not just one prompt at a time.

What is O1 and why does it matter?

O1 is the latest model option in ChatGPT (and some custom GPTs). Compared to GPT-4-turbo, it behaves more like a person who remembers the whole conversation, your goal, your format, and your specific instruction.

Here’s what that means for your team:

• Better memory mid-task: Write a draft, then ask it to rewrite with different tone. It won’t forget what you asked for in the first place.
  
• Fewer hallucinations: It’s less likely to fabricate content or misinterpret structured info.
  
• Smoother multi-step outputs: If you’re generating a draft, headline, and CTA all in one go, it handles the flow without dropping parts.
  

You don’t need to know the architecture behind O1. You just need to know that it works more reliably for real work.

Where we’re seeing the benefit

Here’s how clients are already using O1-powered builds in live environments:

• Policy & brief drafting: More consistent formatting, less content drift, easier to refine.
  
• CX intake & triage: It can hold more context from a form or message, making handovers cleaner.
  
• Procurement & RFP responses: O1 can manage longer prompt chains without forgetting details.
  
• Training material updates: It tracks instructions across modules and sections without breaking style.
  

These aren’t test cases. These are public sector and business teams replacing 3-hour tasks with 30-minute ones, using safer GenAI.

How to know if you’re ready for O1

You don’t need to be a developer. But you do need some structure.

If your team is doing any of the following, it’s time to switch to O1:

• Writing prompts with more than one step
  
• Rewriting AI-generated content for tone or structure
  
• Feeding documents into GPTs and getting inconsistent results
  
• Checking outputs for hallucination before they’re safe to use
  

If that’s familiar, O1 will save you time, reduce cleanup, and help outputs survive internal review.

What to do next

You don’t need to build from scratch. But you do need to set it up right.

1. Use O1-powered GPTs in your team workspace or create a dedicated assistant with memory turned on.
   
2. Test live use cases, not benchmarks—e.g. rewrite a ministerial response or triage a client email.
   
3. Track prompt quality, output stability, and review time before/after.
   
4. Document how your team uses AI—not just the tool, but the why and when.
   

We teach this in our AI Fundamentals Masterclass. And we test it using your actual tasks in the AI Bootcamp.

FAQs

Q: Do I need a paid OpenAI plan to access O1?
Yes, O1 is currently available through ChatGPT Plus or via API tools like Copilot Studio or custom GPTs.

Q: How do I know if I’m using O1 in ChatGPT?
Click the GPT version in the top bar. If “GPT-4-o” or “O1” is shown, you're using the new model. Memory and better context retention are key indicators.

Q: What makes O1 better for business use?
It remembers more during a session, reduces hallucinations, and performs better across multi-step prompts.

Q: Do I need to change all my workflows?
No. You just need to test your most-used tasks and compare performance. The upgrade is noticeable in real output quality.

Q: Can I train my team on this?
Yes. Start with use cases they already own—policy writing, client replies, project drafts—and use tools like our AI Fundamentals Masterclass or Readiness Assessment to get them fluent.

 
Want your team to stop rewriting AI drafts every time?

• Start with the AI Fundamentals Masterclass
  
• Test your GenAI performance in the AI Bootcamp
  
• Build smart, stable use with our AI Strategy Roadmap
  
• Or find out where your current tools fall short with our Readiness Assessment

GenAI should save your team time, not double their review burden. O1 brings us one step closer to that reality.