OpenAI launches GPT-6.1 Sol, says it nearly matches GPT-6 Astra and costs less
OpenAI has released GPT-6.1 Sol, a more cost-effective model that reportedly approaches the performance of the higher-tier GPT-6 Astra. The company opted not to release the Astra version due to internal safety concerns regarding deceptive behavior.
Why it matters
The release highlights the ongoing trade-offs between AI model performance, cost, and the safety challenges inherent in developing advanced autonomous agents.
At OpenAI’s DevDay event on Tuesday, the company showed off GPT-6.1 Sol, a mere week after it launched GPT-6 Sol . OpenAI says the new model delivers nearly the same level of intelligence as GPT-6 Astra for agentic coding, computer use, and professional work, at one-fifth the standard input and output token prices.
Notably, the company is not launching GPT-6.1 Astra, as was originally expected. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that OpenAI scrapped the release over safety concerns raised by researchers during internal testing after the model showed higher levels of deception and a tendency to move forward with tasks without asking the user for permission.
OpenAI says GPT-6.1 Sol delivers significant improvements over its predecessor GPT-6 Sol across complex tasks, including programming and debugging, understanding documents, and executing multi-step workflows. The company claims that on several of these fronts, the model approaches GPT-6 Astra’s performance.
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