OpenAI retires GPT-4o and other models today
13 Feb 2026

OpenAI is retiring some of its AI models, including GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and OpenAI o4-mini from ChatGPT today.

The decision comes as most users have transitioned to the newer GPT-5.2 model, with only a tiny fraction (0.1%) still using GPT-4o daily.

The company made this announcement on January 29, citing the shift in user preference as a key reason for discontinuing these older models.

GPT-4o's comeback and its role in developing GPT-5 series
Model evolution

Despite being initially deprecated, GPT-4o made a comeback after user feedback, especially from Plus and Pro users who appreciated its conversational tone and warmth.

This input was instrumental in developing the more advanced GPT-5.1 and GPT-5.2 models, which offer better personality traits, creative ideation capabilities, and customization options.

OpenAI's blog post highlighted these improvements as a reason for retiring older models like GPT-4o.

OpenAI's focus on enhancing ChatGPT's personality and creativity
Future plans

OpenAI is now focused on improving ChatGPT's personality and creativity while addressing issues like unnecessary refusals and overly cautious responses.

The company is also working on an adult version of ChatGPT, emphasizing user choice within safe boundaries.

Age prediction features have been rolled out for users under 18 in most markets, reflecting OpenAI's commitment to responsible AI development.

Addressing user concerns about model retirement
Model retirement

OpenAI believes that retiring models is critical to focus on improving the ones that are most used.

"We know that losing access to GPT-4o will feel frustrating for some users, and we didn't make this decision lightly," the company said in its blog post.

It's important to note that these changes only affect ChatGPT and not OpenAI's API offerings. Developers can continue using existing models through the API for now, despite the retirement of some models from ChatGPT.