Stop using the wrong AI model for your work (decision guide inside)

Hey Adopter,

In this edition, I'm tackling the #1 problem I hear from professionals using ChatGPT:

"Which model should I be using?"

You'll discover:

• A dead-simple framework for choosing the right model in seconds
• The hidden strengths of each model that OpenAI doesn't advertise
• Why most people waste time with GPT-4.5 when o4-mini would serve them better
• A real-world decision tree that eliminates guesswork
• The surprising multimodal capabilities most users never discover

By the time you finish reading, you'll know exactly which model to select for any task, saving you hours of frustration and helping you achieve results that most users can't. Let's turn the confusing dropdown of models into your strategic advantage.

Winners share the playbook. Forward this to someone who should be profiting from Artificial Intelligence, not fearing it.

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The Three Questions That Matter

When faced with ChatGPT's model dropdown, most people freeze (primarily due to OpenAI’s ridiculous model naming methodology) or just pick whatever's newest. But it all comes down to three simple questions:

1. What kind of task am I doing?
2. How complex is it?
3. How fast do I need results?

That's it. Not token windows, not benchmarks, not whether it scored well on something called "MMLU." Just: what are you trying to do, how complicated is it, and are you in a hurry?

The Business Professional's Model Guide

GPT-4o Mini: Your Speed Demon

Perfect for: Getting stuff done quickly when perfect isn't necessary.

This is your everyday workhorse. Use GPT-4o Mini when:

• You need quick answers to straightforward questions
• You're handling routine customer inquiries
• You're doing multiple small tasks in succession
• You need to reference a long document or conversation

GPT-4o Mini isn't just faster; it's dramatically more responsive. It's like having an eager assistant who might occasionally miss nuance but makes up for it by being immediately available.

Image capabilities: While GPT-4o Mini can't generate images like its bigger sibling, it excels at analyzing images you upload. It can extract text from screenshots, interpret charts and diagrams, and provide detailed descriptions of visual content. This makes it perfect for quickly understanding visual information without the wait time of larger models.

Worth knowing: GPT-4o Mini uses knowledge up to October 2023. For current information, you'll need to enable the web search feature by clicking the globe icon at the bottom of the interface.

GPT-4o: The Reliable All-Rounder

Perfect for: Tasks requiring good communication and moderate complexity.

Think of GPT-4o as your versatile manager – competent across areas without being exceptional in any one. It excels at:

• Creating content like essays, outlines, and scripts
• Drafting professional emails that require natural language
• Analyzing images for insights
• Translating between languages
• Generating high-quality images from text descriptions

When you need solid performance across a range of tasks, GPT-4o hits the sweet spot between capability and speed. As of April 2025, this replaced the older GPT-4 model in ChatGPT.

Image capabilities: GPT-4o is a powerhouse for visual creation. It can generate images directly from your prompts with remarkable quality and versatility. You can request specific styles (photorealistic, cartoon, sketch, watercolor), and it will adapt. It excels at rendering accurate, legible text in images—perfect for creating infographics, posters, or social media graphics. What makes it truly special is the ability to iteratively refine images. Ask it to "make it more vibrant" or "change the background to a beach," and it will update the image while maintaining the core elements.

Worth knowing: Like GPT-4o Mini, this model doesn't automatically search the web unless you enable that feature. Pro subscribers ($200/month) get unlimited access to GPT-4o, while Plus subscribers ($20/month) have usage limits. The image generation capabilities are particularly valuable for creating marketing visuals, social media content, product mockups, and presentation graphics without needing design skills.

GPT-4.5: The Creative Partner

Perfect for: Content that needs to feel authentically human.

GPT-4.5 runs slower for a reason: it has significantly improved emotional intelligence. Reserve it exclusively for:

• Creative writing that needs stylistic finesse
• Persuasive marketing copy
• Social media content requiring human-like tone
• Communications where empathy and nuance are critical

Worth knowing: Currently, GPT-4.5 is available as a research preview on the Plus plan ($20/month), while Pro subscribers ($200/month) get more extensive access. It's limited to around 50 messages per week, so use it selectively.

o3: The Deep Thinker

Perfect for: Complex problems requiring multiple steps of reasoning.

The o3 model represents a fundamental shift in AI capability – it doesn't just generate text; it thinks before answering. This makes it invaluable for:

• Research reports drawing from multiple sources
• Business analytics requiring visualization
• STEM problem-solving with step-by-step reasoning
• Detailed image analysis

One surprising capability: o3 can analyze blurry or low-quality images by cropping, zooming, and cross-referencing internet sources on its own.

Advanced image analysis: While o3 doesn't generate images, its image analysis capabilities are exceptional. It can autonomously crop and zoom in on important details, compare an image against online references, and perform deep visual reasoning. For instance, it might analyze a blurry photo of a building, identify architectural features, and determine its location by cross-referencing with internet sources—all without explicit instructions for each step.

Worth knowing: o3 is available to Plus subscribers ($20/month), but Pro users ($200/month) get unlimited access. Unlike other models, it can autonomously decide to use web browsing and other tools if your task requires it.

o4-mini: The Numbers Whisperer

Perfect for: Anything involving calculations, data, or formulas.

When faced with mathematical or data-heavy tasks, o4-mini is your go-to:

• Financial forecasting and modeling
• Analyzing data in spreadsheets
• Statistical analysis
• Step-by-step explanations of complex calculations

A standout feature: o4-mini can analyze spreadsheet data and reason through multi-step mathematical queries, making it perfect for finance teams.

Worth knowing: o4-mini and its high-compute variant o4-mini-high are available on the Plus plan ($20/month), with unlimited access for Pro subscribers ($200/month). Like o3, this model can autonomously use tools like web browsing when needed for your task.

The Power of Deep Research

One of the most valuable but underused features in ChatGPT is the Deep Research tool. This specialized feature leverages o3 (and a lightweight o4-mini version when you hit your quota) to conduct multi-step, agentic research on the web, synthesizing information from hundreds of sources.

When to use it: For complex questions requiring comprehensive, up-to-date information from multiple sources. It's particularly valuable for:

• Market research reports
• Competitive analysis
• Technical deep dives
• Literature reviews

Pro vs. Plus: Pro users ($200/month) get significantly more deep research queries (250/month) compared to Plus users (25/month).

Beyond Text: The Multimodal Revolution

AI isn't just about text anymore. Today's models can handle multiple types of content simultaneously, creating entirely new workflows:

Voice and Audio: GPT-4o can process spoken language and respond with realistic AI-generated voice, making it perfect for dictating emails, creating podcast scripts, or practicing presentations. Response times can be as quick as 232 milliseconds, enabling natural back-and-forth conversations.

File Analysis: All models can analyze uploaded documents, from spreadsheets to PDFs. They can extract key information, summarize content, and even identify patterns across multiple files—saving hours of manual review.

Data Visualization: Need to make sense of complex data? These models can analyze charts in images and create visualization recommendations based on your raw data, helping transform numbers into insights without specialized tools.

Video Understanding: While not full video generators (except Sora on Pro plans), models like GPT-4o can analyze video by examining key frames, providing content summaries, and identifying important moments—useful for content creators and marketers.

The real power comes from combining these capabilities. You might upload a financial spreadsheet, have the AI analyze the trends, generate an explanatory chart, and then dictate a summary report—all in a single conversation.

Subscription Plans at a Glance

Personal Plans

• Plus ($20/month): Access to all models with usage limits, standard voice mode, image generation capabilities, limited access to Sora video generation, and basic deep research.
• Pro ($200/month): Unlimited access to all reasoning models and GPT-4o, unlimited advanced voice, extended image and Sora video generation capabilities, extended deep research capabilities, and access to o1 pro mode for the hardest questions.

Business Plans

• Team ($25/user/month, billed annually for 2+ users): Everything in Plus with higher message limits for GPT-4o, enhanced image generation capabilities, integrated creative tools (including canvas), enhanced security features, admin controls, and collaborative tools like shared GPTs.

Real-World Decision Framework

Forget the technical specs. Here's how to decide which model to use in your daily work:

1. Need it fast? Use GPT-4o Mini.
2. Writing something creative or emotional? Use GPT-4.5 (if available to you).
3. Solving a complex problem with multiple steps? Use o3.
4. Working with numbers or data? Use o4-mini.
5. Need current information? Enable web search or use the Deep Research tool.
6. Everything else? Use GPT-4o as your reliable default.

That's it. Six simple rules that will save you hours of frustration.

Beyond the Obvious

Some surprising ways forward-thinking professionals are using these models:

• Urban planners are using GPT-4o and GPT-4o Mini for qualitative coding of complex urban system documents, saving time while maintaining human-level reliability.
• Business analysts are using o3 to perform advanced business data analysis, generate visualizations, and provide accurate profit forecasts grounded in current market data.
• Research teams are using these models as additional raters alongside human evaluators in qualitative research, helping reduce bias and variability.

Making This Work For You

Your ChatGPT subscription gives you access to specialized models, with different tiers offering varying levels of access:

• Plus ($20/month): Good for most professionals and individual users with moderate AI needs
• Pro ($200/month): Ideal for power users, researchers, and professionals whose work heavily depends on AI
• Team ($25/user/month): Perfect for collaborative environments needing shared resources and higher security

Start by creating a simple decision tree for your most common work tasks. When you sit down to use ChatGPT, take three seconds to ask: "Which model is best for this specific task?" Then select accordingly from the model dropdown.

For teams, build a simple guide mapping common departmental tasks to specific models. When everyone knows which tool to reach for, you eliminate wasted time and consistently get better outputs.

Which three tasks in your workflow could be dramatically improved by switching to the right AI model this week?

Adapt & Create,

Kamil