In September 2024 OpenAI introduced o1, a new kind of model designed to “reason” step by step before answering — spending more time thinking to improve performance on complex problems in maths, science and coding.
For businesses, the direction matters more than the detail: AI is moving from quick text generation toward tackling harder, multi-step tasks. Over time, that means more capable assistants for genuinely complex work.
Why this matters
- AI is learning to reason — not just generate text, but work through problems.
- Harder tasks come into range — complex analysis and problem-solving become viable.
- Foundations pay off — good data and governance now means easy adoption later.
- The trajectory is clear — assistants will keep getting more capable.
What we’d advise
Start with the practical wins available today, build good habits around data and governance, and you’ll be well placed to adopt more powerful tools as they arrive — rather than scrambling to catch up.
Source: OpenAI announcement, September 2024.