OpenAI has announced that it will retire GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and o4-mini from ChatGPT on February 13, marking another step in the company’s shift toward its next-generation GPT-5 model family. The decision is part of OpenAI’s broader strategy to consolidate usage, streamline model offerings, and accelerate product improvements focused on personalisation, creativity, and user experience.
The move follows OpenAI’s earlier confirmation that GPT-5 Instant and GPT-5 Thinking will also be phased out. Importantly, OpenAI clarified that there will be no changes to its API offerings at this time, meaning developers using these models via API workflows will not be immediately impacted.
Why GPT-4o Is Being Retired
Once a flagship multimodal model, GPT-4o has seen a sharp decline in usage as users migrated to newer versions. According to OpenAI, over 99.9% of daily ChatGPT usage has now shifted to GPT-5.2, with only 0.1% of users still actively selecting GPT-4o.
Despite this, OpenAI acknowledged that GPT-4o maintained a loyal following, particularly among Plus and Pro subscribers. Earlier feedback led the company to temporarily restore access after users said they needed more time to transition critical workflows such as creative ideation, brainstorming, and conversational writing, citing GPT-4o’s distinct conversational warmth and tone.
OpenAI said this feedback directly influenced the development of GPT-5.1 and GPT-5.2, which now include:
- Improved conversational personality
- Stronger support for creative ideation
- Expanded customization controls for tone, warmth, and enthusiasm
- Selectable base styles such as Friendly
The company is also refining ChatGPT’s overall behavior, aiming to reduce unnecessary refusals, overly cautious responses, and what it described as “preachy” outputs, while maintaining safety standards.
Adult-Focused ChatGPT Experience
As part of its platform evolution, OpenAI revealed progress toward a ChatGPT experience designed specifically for adults (18+), built around greater freedom of expression and choice within appropriate safeguards. To support this, OpenAI has rolled out age prediction systems for under-18 users across most markets.
“We know that losing access to GPT-4o will feel frustrating for some users, and we didn’t make this decision lightly. Retiring models is never easy, but it allows us to focus on improving the models that deliver the most value,” OpenAI said.
OpenAI admitted that retiring GPT-4o may frustrate some users but emphasized that model retirement is necessary to focus resources on improving the models most people actively use today.
With GPT-5 models now firmly at the center of ChatGPT’s roadmap, OpenAI is signaling a future built around fewer, more capable AI models, enhanced customization, and a stronger emphasis on creativity and personalization.
