OpenAI will remove several models from ChatGPT next month, including the popular GPT-4o. Ashley Capoot reports for CNBC. The company launched GPT-4o in May 2024, and its conversational style attracted a dedicated following among paid users.
OpenAI says only 0.1% of users currently choose GPT-4o daily, while most have switched to GPT-5.2. The company claims recent improvements to personality, customization and creative features justify the retirement. “Retiring models is never easy, but it allows us to focus on improving the models most people use today,” OpenAI states in a blog post.
The decision follows an earlier controversy in August when OpenAI briefly removed GPT-4o access. CEO Sam Altman then promised to provide “plenty of notice” before any future retirement. Additional models facing removal include GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, OpenAI o4-mini, GPT-5 Instant and GPT-5 Thinking.
