In response to the rising popularity of the Chinese AI application Deepseek and its cost-free reasoning capabilities, Microsoft, a long-time partner of OpenAI, has announced that all users of its Copilot tool will now gain complimentary access to OpenAI’s reasoning model, known as o1.

It’s noteworthy to point out that there is no “Plus” or “Pro” designation accompanying “Copilot.” Users will not be required to possess specialized hardware or a subscription for ChatGPT or Copilot. This significant update was revealed through a LinkedIn announcement from Mustafa Suleyman, the CEO of Microsoft AI, announcing that the new “Think Deeper” function is now universally accessible to all Copilot users.

The “Think Deeper” feature, which began its testing phase in October, enhances the chatbot’s processing capabilities by allowing it approximately 30 extra seconds to contemplate user inquiries before delivering a response. Although it lacks real-time internet access, this limitation enables it to elucidate the reasoning behind its answers and reportedly employ self-correction features.

The primary intention behind this development is to engage the AI in addressing intricate subjects and STEM-related queries. For instance, OpenAI asserts that the o1 model successfully resolves about 83% of challenges posed in the International Mathematics Olympiad, while the non-reasoning variant, GPT-4o, manages to solve merely 13%.

To activate the Think Deeper capability in Copilot, simply click or tap on the “Think Deeper” feature while composing your question. If you don’t see this option yet, it may take some time to become available to your account, similar to the experience of others.

While Suleyman did not specify any limitations regarding access to the new o1 model, it can be inferred that they are consistent with the existing restrictions on the free version of Copilot, which might result in temporary unavailability during peak usage periods. Nevertheless, this offering remains considerably more advantageous than the pricing structure presented on ChatGPT’s platform, where access to the o1 model is priced at $20 per month for limited use and $200 for unlimited access.

The swift introduction of a free access option for o1 seems to be a strategic move to counter the capabilities of Deepseek’s R1, which the developers have claimed meets or exceeds o1 in several evaluations. However, regardless of the motivations influencing the decisions at OpenAI and Microsoft, the timing aligns favorably for users, as Deepseek is currently entangled in serious privacy concerns, including instances where chat logs have been exposed online for public viewing.

Moreover, Microsoft continues to explore multiple avenues in this evolving landscape. Although Microsoft services have yet to roll out Deepseek R1 directly to consumers, it has already been integrated into the toolset of Microsoft’s AI development resources.