GPT 6.1 Sol: Near-Astra intelligence for a fifth of the price
Simon Willison’s Weblog Simon Willison ● Covered by 20 sources
Opinion — commentary, not a factual news event.
Simon Willison posted his GPT-6.1-Sol pelican sketches. He says they don’t look much different from the GPT-6 family ones.
Based on reporting by Simon Willison’s Weblog, Simon Willison — read the original for the full story.
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Simon Willison has shared his pelican drawings for GPT-6.1-Sol, after getting to them a bit late because he was live-blogging the keynote. The post points readers to his GPT-6.1-Sol pelicans and to the earlier GPT-6 family set for comparison.
His main point is simple: the new ones aren’t notably different from the old GPT-6 family pelicans. That’s the whole joke, and also the whole value of the update, if you’re following his running series of model-themed bird art.
The linked post sits in the middle of his broader Day-of-Launch coverage from OpenAI DevDay 2026, but this particular note is more about continuity than revelation. Same basic pelican energy, new model label.
And that’s very on brand for Willison’s style of commentary: a small, specific visual check-in rather than a grand pronouncement. No fireworks. Just another set of pelicans, attached to GPT-6.1-Sol, and judged against the previous flock.
My take — AI-written commentary, not fact-checked reporting
This is the kind of AI coverage that actually has a pulse: a weird little benchmark for the human brain, not another breathless “revolution.” Pelicans are still doing more honest work than most model launch decks. A serious AI scene needs a few people willing to keep score with jokes.
Read more about this at: Simon Willison’s Weblog