Unleashing Visual Reasoning with ChatGPT o4: “Thinking with Images”

from: https://openai.com/index/introducing-o3-and-o4-mini/

The latest o4-series models in ChatGPT Plus and Pro bring a groundbreaking capability: they don’t just see your images — they think with them. This “thinking with images” feature blends visual and textual reasoning, enabling AI to solve problems that were previously out of reach.

What Is “Thinking with Images”?

• Integrated Reasoning: Instead of converting an image to text and then processing it, o4 models incorporate visuals directly into their chain of thought.

• On‑the‑fly Image Tools: You can rotate, zoom, crop, or annotate images within the chat, and the model uses those transformations as part of its reasoning.

  
  

How It Works Under the Hood

1. Vision Encoder: A specialized neural layer processes raw pixels into embeddings.

2. Early Fusion: Those embeddings are merged with text embeddings before reasoning begins.

3. Multimodal Chain of Thought: The model interleaves image analysis and text generation, effectively “talking to itself” about what it sees.

Together, these steps let the model handle low‑quality scans, hand‑drawn sketches, or reversed diagrams without losing context.

Benefits for Process Engineers

• Rapid Schematic Walkthroughs: Instantly get step-by-step explanations of complex piping and instrumentation diagrams.

• Control Logic Validation: Outline how controllers or interlocks operate based on your drawing.

• Cross‑discipline Collaboration: Share annotated explanations with teammates who may not read P&IDs fluently.

  
  

Technical Highlights & Limitations

• State‑of‑the‑Art Benchmarks: Best‑in‑class accuracy on multimodal tasks.

• API‑Only for Some Features: Full image‑tool functionality via the API may require additional setup.

• Image Quality Matters: Tiny symbols or low‑contrast text can still be misinterpreted.

  
  

Getting Started

1. Subscribe to ChatGPT Plus or Pro.

2. Open a Chat and click the “Upload” icon to add your image.

3. Experiment with zooming and rotating directly in the conversation.

4. Ask for process explanations, component tagging, or control‑logic walkthroughs.

   
   

Conclusion & Next Steps

The o4 “thinking with images” feature transforms how engineers interact with AI, turning static drawings into dynamic, explorable knowledge.

Watch the demo video, then check out our Udemy Course to start applying image‑based reasoning in your own workflows.