OpenAI to Retire Popular GPT‑4o ChatGPT Model Next Month: What’s Next for AI Evolution?
OpenAI just pulled the plug on its crowd-favorite GPT‑4o model—effective next month. The move signals a seismic shift in the AI landscape, leaving developers scrambling and users wondering what comes next.
The Rise and Retirement of a Star
GPT‑4o wasn't just another iteration; it became the go-to for millions. Its retirement isn't a quiet sunset—it's a strategic sunsetting. OpenAI's cutting legacy tech to make room for what's next. No more updates, no more support. Just a hard stop.
Why Now? Follow the Compute
Running these massive models burns cash—enormous server farms, energy bills, and engineering hours. Retiring an older model frees up resources for newer, more efficient architectures. It's a classic tech pivot: build, scale, then cut the cord when something better hits the pipeline.
The Aftermath: Ecosystem Whiplash
Developers built entire workflows around GPT‑4o's capabilities. Now they're facing a forced migration—with all the headaches that come with it. Integration breaks, retraining costs, and rushed testing cycles. Some call it progress; others call it planned obsolescence.
What's Next in the Pipeline?
OpenAI's roadmap rarely sits still. Expect a successor—likely faster, cheaper, and trained on fresher data. The company's betting that users will trade familiarity for next-gen performance. Whether that gamble pays off depends on how smoothly the transition rolls out.
One cynical finance take? This feels like a software version of stock buybacks—retire the old to artificially boost the perceived value of the new. Because in tech, as in markets, perception often drives the real momentum.
The clock's ticking. Next month, GPT‑4o goes dark. The AI world doesn't pause—it just reloads.
OpenAI removes GPT-4o as users switch to newer models
OpenAI launched GPT-4o in May 2024. The model was designed to convey a more natural, human feel in chat sessions. It had a warmer tone compared to other ChatGPT models and attracted people seeking a more expressive, creative experience.
This strategy helped GPT-4o attract a loyal group of Plus and Pro users. These users used the model for ideas, writing, and brainstorming, and reported that it was easier to talk to and better for open-ended work than what was available at the time.
However, over time, users’ interactions with ChatGPT have evolved. Currently, according to OpenAI, “about 0.1% of users choose GPT-4o daily,” with most users now using “GPT-5.2, which has become the default model for most daily tasks.”
Considering that very few people are using GPT-4o these days, OpenAI claims that supporting this model distracts from efforts to improve the models most people actually use. The time and resources used to support these older models can instead be devoted to improving the newer models, making them faster, more reliable, and easier to use.
By discontinuing GPT-4o and other less frequently used models, OpenAI claims it can devote more effort to improving the performance, reliability, and creativity of its new models, especially amid increasing demand for better AI tools.
The company further noted that GPT-5.2 delivers more powerful creative output and greater control over the model’s personality. Users can also fine-tune the GPT-5.2 model’s response. As a result, the need to maintain the older versions of the model, such as the GPT-4o, is reduced.
OpenAI says user feedback helped new models replace GPT-4o
GPT-4o is now ready for retirement after a period characterized by talks that began in August. This followed OpenAI’s decision to withdraw the model shortly after releasing the latest version, dubbed GPT-5. The decision was immediately opposed by the users, who felt it had come too early.
A lot of people back then felt that GPT-5 was a regression because it didn’t have the warmth, grasp, and flowing conversation that they were used to in GPT-4o.
OpenAI decided to reverse the decision and restore GPT-4o for paying subscribers. They stated that many of their subscribers required additional time to transition their critical tasks to the new models without any disruption.
However, following this reversal, OpenAI’s Chief Executive Officer, Sam Altman, promised users that the organization WOULD give them “plenty of notice” before making a permanent decision regarding the closure of GPT-4o.
Despite GPT-4o’s presence in the market, OpenAI has been paying close attention to the feedback it has been receiving and using it to make subsequent versions even better.
The focus has been on refining GPT-5.1 and GPT-5.2 in terms of tone, creativity, and conversational style. The company states that the new versions allow users to adjust ChatGPT’s personality, letting people control the level of warmth or enthusiasm in the chat rather than being stuck with a single default setting.
OpenAI also said the previous debate on the older model touched on broader issues, such as how people tend to get emotionally attached to AI and the possibility that AI might give overly agreeable responses. They emphasized that they are working on solving these issues with the new models and versions of ChatGPT.
If you're reading this, you’re already ahead. Stay there with our newsletter.
