ChatGPT already offers a mini variant. It is more economical, cheaper to operate, but also less accurate – Technologies – Science and technology

In an effort to save resources, ChatGPT has made available to the public a modified model of artificial intelligence ChatGPT-4o mini. It is less accurate and cannot work with attachments. However, it is tens of percent cheaper to operate.

ChatGPT is now also available in the 4o mini variant.

So far, very little has been said about the effects of artificial intelligence on the environment. Its potential to change people’s lives has completely overshadowed the huge carbon footprint it creates. This is also why many technology companies had to reconsider their voluntary commitments to achieve carbon neutrality. Training complex machine learning models, including large language models, requires a huge amount of computing power. This is currently provided by powerful GPU processors, which are installed in large clusters in computing centers. And although training artificial intelligence is the most demanding in terms of energy consumption, the use of already trained models also has a negligible impact. Even in this case, the ratio applies – the more powerful and robust the artificial intelligence model, the greater its impact on computing power and energy consumption.

The goal of technology companies is to make advanced artificial intelligence models available to as many users as possible. Well, here comes the problem. Only a fraction of people are willing to pay for the use of advanced artificial intelligence and thus symbolically subsidize the costs associated with its operation. Older models that are free, but limited in terms of functions and data, cannot keep up with the development of AI. One solution may be to offer simplified AI models. And that’s exactly what OpenAI is trying to do with the new ChatGPT-4o mini model, which is based on the more complex 4o model.

The new or modified model ChatGPT-4o mini is smaller and less powerful compared to the full version 4o. It is designed to be less demanding on computing resources and energy. It is thus more suitable for less demanding tasks that do not require high accuracy and level of understanding. For example, he cannot understand some more complex questions and specifics of verbal commands. It also limits the variety and range of answers, which can only be basic and direct. The mini variant also lacks the ability to upload files and generate images based on commands. However, there is no need to wait for it. It is available to all users.