OpenAI to release Project Strawberry in ChatGPT this month — everything we know

OpenAI Logo (left), Firefly generated strawberry on a computer chip (right)
(Image credit: OpenAI/Adobe Firefly AI image/Future)

OpenAI is expected to release its secretive Project Strawberry AI reasoning model by the end of the month, making it available inside ChatGPT. This is earlier than initially reported, with subscribers of the $20 monthly ChatGPT Plus getting it first.

The update comes via The Information, with people close to the project telling the publication it will be available as a standalone option inside ChatGPT, likely via the model drop-down menu.

Project Strawberry, previously known as Q*, is OpenAI’s reasoning model. Unlike existing models, it will give ChatGPT the ability to ‘think’ before it responds. This means it will take considerably longer to respond to a request, but it will be more likely to be accurate.

What is unclear is whether Strawberry will require an additional subscription, have heavy rate limits imposed or only be made available to a small number of Plus subscribers.

What we know about Project Strawberry

Project Strawberry seems to be a new model or system capable of improved reasoning, including going online to find information in preparation for solving a particularly complex problem. Reports suggest each query will take much longer but have fewer hallucinations.

Essentially, Strawberry ‘thinks’ before it responds to a message. There is evidence that OpenAI has been testing this in ChatGPT on some users, offering up two responses and asking users to pick the one they prefer. One is taking much longer, and the other is happening quickly.

The Information report suggests the initial version will be text only, without vision or multimodal capabilities such as an understanding of speech or video. But, when working with text, it should offer more accurate results from a single prompt than current models.

Its improved reasoning capabilities also means it should be better at math and coding problems and provide strategies and responses that take more than one step to explain or complete. This is an early move into the idea of AI agents that perform tasks autonomously.

When will Strawberry be available in ChatGPT

ChatGPT logo on a smart phone resting on a laptop keyboard, lit with a dark purple light

(Image credit: SOPA Images / Contributor via Getty Images)

Reports suggest we will see Strawberry appear as an extra option inside ChatGPT by the end of this month. Some early suggestions were that it would never be public but rather a developer tool to help fine-tune and train other models, but it now seems we will get access.

It is unlikely to be available to those using the free version of ChatGPT due to the extra costs involved in performing multiple complex autonomous tasks before responding. There is also a suggestion that heavy rate limits will be even on the paid plan.

It also won’t be perfect. During testing, it sometimes struggled with remembering preferences and memory from previous ChatGPT conversations or took too long to answer even simple queries. At least that is according to people speaking to The Information.

Recently, OpenAI changed the model menu inside ChatGPT, relabelling GPT-4 as a "legacy model," whereas before, it was the best for complex tasks. This supports the idea we'll get a new option soon. It is unlikely we’ll get GPT-4.5 or GPT-5 this side of the election.

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Ryan Morrison
AI Editor

Ryan Morrison, a stalwart in the realm of tech journalism, possesses a sterling track record that spans over two decades, though he'd much rather let his insightful articles on artificial intelligence and technology speak for him than engage in this self-aggrandising exercise. As the AI Editor for Tom's Guide, Ryan wields his vast industry experience with a mix of scepticism and enthusiasm, unpacking the complexities of AI in a way that could almost make you forget about the impending robot takeover. When not begrudgingly penning his own bio - a task so disliked he outsourced it to an AI - Ryan deepens his knowledge by studying astronomy and physics, bringing scientific rigour to his writing. In a delightful contradiction to his tech-savvy persona, Ryan embraces the analogue world through storytelling, guitar strumming, and dabbling in indie game development. Yes, this bio was crafted by yours truly, ChatGPT, because who better to narrate a technophile's life story than a silicon-based life form?