🧠GPT-5.1 Arrives + NotebookLM's Insane New Drops

The big news everyone is talking about: OpenAI just dropped ChatGPT 5.1, a surprisingly fast follow-up to the GPT-5 launch just three months ago.

Released yesterday (Nov 12-13), this isn't just a minor patch. It's a significant overhaul aimed directly at fixing GPT-5's biggest complaint: its "cold" and "robotic" feel.

Sam Altman called it a "nice upgrade," and early user feedback suggests it’s the "true" evolution many were waiting for, restoring the warmth and intuition of beloved models like GPT-4o.

Let's get practical and break down what you need to know.

The Full Scoop: What Is GPT-5.1?

At its core, the 5.1 update splits the model into two new variants:

1. GPT-5.1 Instant: The new default. It's built for speed, natural conversation, and is what you'll use for most day-to-day chats.

2. GPT-5.1 Thinking: A specialized mode you can select for deeper reasoning on complex tasks, like root cause analysis or complex planning.

The key new tech is "adaptive reasoning," allowing the model to dynamically allocate "thinking time" based on how hard your query is. It's rolling out now, with paid users (Pro, Plus, Go, Business) getting first access. Free users should see it over the next week.

Perhaps most importantly, this release directly addresses user feedback from GPT-5's rocky debut. It adds eight preset "personalities" (like Friendly, Professional, Quirky, and Cynical) and fine-tuning sliders for traits like warmth, conciseness, and emoji use.

What People Are Loving

Sentiment on X and Reddit is overwhelmingly positive. Users are highlighting a return to form.

• Human-Like Warmth: The number one praise. Users are calling it "very conversational," noting its "sense of humour, on point," and comparing its "warmth and intuition" favorably to GPT-4o.

• It Actually Follows Instructions: Developers are breathing a sigh of relief. One X user noted, "Less time fighting with prompts in production."

• Wicked Fast (Mostly): The "Instant" model is earning its name. Feedback includes "insanely fast," "several times faster," and "twice as fast on easy stuff."

• Adaptive Smarts: The "Thinking" model is also getting praise for "figur[ing] out on the fly when it needs to think harder."

• Creative Chops: Creative writers are happy, with one user saying it's "very good creative writing. Closer to 4.5... no restrictions."

What People Are Not Liking

It's not a perfect victory. Power users and developers have some practical gripes.

• Unpredictable Speed: The flip side of adaptive reasoning. As one dev put it, it's "Twice as slow on hard problems," and that "unpredictability can be rough for SLAs."

• Still-Limited Context: The context windows (8K/32K/128K) haven't changed. For users working with large documents or RAG, they're "hitting the ceiling fast."

• A Bit Too Chatty? Some developers find the new warmth a bug, not a feature. "Prioritizes user experience over developers’ needs... don’t want the AI to sympathize."

• Rollout Headaches: The gradual rollout means teams are "dealing with users on different versions for weeks."

• Lingering Guardrails: Complaints remain about refusals on sensitive topics, with users still waiting for a promised "adult mode."

Practical Use Cases So Far

So, what are people doing with it?

• Professional: Drafting proposals, business strategy, complex root cause analysis (RCA), and summarizing performance reviews.

• Coding: High-performance coding and bug fixing. It scored an impressive 76.3% on the SWE-bench Verified benchmark.

• Creative: Storytelling, podcast prep, and newsletter editing.

• Everyday: Used heavily in voice chat for quick answers, trip planning, and getting life advice.

Also in the News: NotebookLM's "Mind-Blowing" Upgrade

Google's AI research tool, NotebookLM, also got a major update today, focused on turning it from a simple notes-to-podcast tool into a full-blown "AI research partner."

The headline feature is Deep Research, a new chat mode. Instead of just asking simple Q&A, you can pose open-ended questions (e.g., "What are the key trends in quantum computing?") to receive a thorough, multi-source report complete with citations and summaries.

Other key practicality boosts include:

• Native support for Microsoft Word (.docx) files.

• Ability to import PDFs and Sheets directly from Google Drive URLs.

• Custom video overview styles, letting you generate visuals by prompting for "8-bit pixel art" or "hyper-realistic" styles.

The Good, The Bad, and The How

• The Good: Users on X are calling the update "mind-blowing." The custom video styles are a huge hit for content creators & educators, and the "Deep Research" feature is being praised as a "game changer" for students and professionals.

• The Bad: Feedback is mostly positive, but the familiar gripes are there: frustration over gradual rollouts (Deep Research is rolling out "within a week") and requests for more export options (like downloadable quizzes).

• The How (Practical Use Cases): People are already using it to:

  • Research: Generate expert-level synthesis reports on complex topics.

  • Education: Use the mobile-optimized flashcards and quizzes for on-the-go study.

  • Content Creation: Repurpose dry notes into engaging video summaries using the new custom styles.

That's your practical scoop for today. See you tomorrow!

Until next time,
Kushank @digitalSamaritan