Top News

OpenAI has announced a major decision to discontinue several older AI models from ChatGPT. Access to GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, and other legacy models will end on February 13, 2026.

If you use ChatGPT, this news is important for you. OpenAI has announced a major decision to discontinue several older AI models. The company says that most users have already shifted to newer and more advanced models. So, the question is, which models will be removed, and what will be the impact? Let's find out.

Which ChatGPT models are being discontinued?

OpenAI has announced that access to several older AI models on ChatGPT will be discontinued from February 13, 2026. These include:

• GPT-4o
• GPT-4.1
• GPT-4.1 Mini
• OpenAI o4-Mini

All these models have now been categorized as legacy models. OpenAI says that very few people are using them anymore and the technology has advanced.

Why was this decision made?

According to OpenAI, approximately 99.9% of users have already shifted to newer models like GPT-5.2. The number of users still using GPT-4o has dropped to just 0.1%. The company believes that maintaining older models divides resources. By removing them, OpenAI wants to focus on the models that most people are using today. OpenAI has clearly stated that this decision was necessary to provide a better user experience.

GPT-4o was removed before, why did it come back?

This is not the first time GPT-4o is being discontinued. Last year, after the launch of GPT-5, OpenAI removed it, but paid users strongly protested. Users said that GPT-4o's style, tone, and way of responding were different and better. Following this, the company had to bring the model back for paid users. This time, OpenAI claims it has learned from that experience and improved the new models.

What's better about the new models?

According to OpenAI, GPT-5.1 and GPT-5.2 have several key improvements, such as:

Improved personality and conversational style.
More creative and idea-friendly responses.
The ability to customize ChatGPT's tone and style.
Fewer unnecessary refusal responses.
The company says the focus is now not just on "what it can do," but on "what it feels like to use."

What will happen to old ChatGPT chats?

If you are currently chatting on GPT-4o or an older model, there's no need to worry. According to OpenAI, you can continue chatting on the older models until February 13, 2026. After that, your chats will automatically switch to GPT-5.2 or a newer model. Image generation will also be handled by the new GPT-5 family models, meaning users won't need to manually change anything.

What does this mean for average users?

In simple terms, the ChatGPT experience will be smoother and more personalized. Users accustomed to the older models might notice some changes, but in the long run, the responses will be better, less robotic, and more human-like.