OpenAI patents interface showing how AI models think in real time
OpenAI has filed a patent for a system that displays the step-by-step thinking process of an AI model as it works. The interface shows different types of outputs, like text, images, or code, in a live timeline with specific styles and animations.
In the filing’s own words
A system is configured to present intermediate reasoning steps of a multimodal reasoning model. The system includes instructions that cause one or more processors to be configured to present a user interface to show render reasoning outputs. The one or more processors are further configured to: receive, from a server, a plurality of reasoning messages generated during execution of the multimodal reasoning model, each reasoning message including metadata identifying a message type; determine, based on the message type, a presentation format for each reasoning message, the presentation format including at least one of a visual style, an animation sequence, or a display duration; render, via the user interface, the plurality of reasoning messages in a reasoning timeline according to their respective presentation formats; and update the reasoning timeline in real time as additional reasoning messages are generated.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A method for presenting intermediate reasoning steps of a multimodal reasoning model, the method comprising: receiving, from a server, a plurality of reasoning messages generated during execution of the multimodal reasoning model, each reasoning message including metadata identifying a message type, the message type comprising at least one of: a text output, an image output, a search result, or a code execution result; determining, based on the message type, a presentation format for each reasoning message, the presentation format including at least one of a visual style, an animation sequence, or a display duration; rendering, via a user interface, the plurality of reasoning messages in a reasoning timeline according to their respective presentation formats; and updating the reasoning timeline in real time as additional reasoning messages are generated, thereby presenting intermediate outputs of the multimodal reasoning model to a user.
Facts
- Company
- OpenAI (OpenAI OpCo, LLC)
- Official title
- VISUAL REASONING AND MULTIMODAL CHAIN-OF-THOUGHT BACK-END
- Publication number
- US20260330194A1
- Application number
- 19389708
- Filed
- Nov 14, 2025
- Published
- Oct 22, 2026
- Inventors
- 8
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G06N 3/0475 Physics & computingMore from OpenAI in AI & software
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.