OpenAI’s latest AI models can ‘think with images’ and combine tools

Earlier this week via blog post, OpenAI released their newest AI models: o3 and o4-mini. These models are the company’s “smartest and most capable models to date” and their first reasoning models that can also reason when it comes to images.

What does that mean? In short, these AI models can use an image—such as a photograph or a sketch—as part of an analysis. The models can also adjust, zoom in on, and rotate an image during reasoning.

Introducing OpenAI o3 and o4-mini—our smartest and most capable models to date.

For the first time, our reasoning models can agentically use and combine every tool within ChatGPT, including web search, Python, image analysis, file interpretation, and image generation. pic.twitter.com/rDaqV0x0wE
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) April 16, 2025

Both o3 and o4-mini can do a lot more than that, too. “For the first time, our reasoning models can agentically use and combine every tool within ChatGPT, including web search, Python, image analysis, file interpretation, and image generation,” tweeted OpenAI.

Both o3 and o4-mini AI models have been made available to paying ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team users, while the old o1, o3-mini, and o3-mini-high AI models have been removed. OpenAI plans to release the more powerful o3-pro model to Pro users within a few weeks.