Microsoft Makes OpenAI GPT-o1 Reasoning Model Available for Free in Copilot

Microsoft has made the OpenAI GPT-o1 reasoning model, known as Think Deeper, available to all users of its Copilot service at no additional cost. This move comes just two weeks after the company increased the price of Copilot by $3 per month and released DeepSeek R1, a competitive free and open-source AI model from China-based firm eponymous.

Think Deeper is a chain-of-thought model that produces intermediary stages of output before settling on a final answer. This helps to iron out hallucinations, errors, and other low-quality responses. Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, shared the news via LinkedIn, stating that users can now access the world-class o1 reasoning model in Copilot at no extra cost.

Suleyman’s announcement has been met with skepticism, as some investors have expressed concerns about the impact on Azure revenue growth and financial guidance. Microsoft shares have dropped six percent since Wednesday due to lighter-than-expected revenue growth and revised financial guidance.

Some users, however, are enthusiastic about the new feature. Suleyman urged users to try Think Deeper, citing its ability to provide in-depth advice on career change and industry trends. But others have questioned whether the move is truly “free,” given that subscription fees will increase by 31 percent for some users.

Despite the controversy, Microsoft’s decision to make Think Deeper available for free highlights the growing competition in the AI space. As companies like eponymous release competitive models like DeepSeek R1, users must carefully consider their AI investment.

Source: https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/31/microsoft_open_ai_reasoning_copilot