OpenAI will retire several older artificial intelligence models from ChatGPT on Feb. 13, 2026, including GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and OpenAI o4-mini. The company said the retirements will not affect its API services at this time.
GPT-4o received special consideration after OpenAI initially deprecated it and later restored access during the GPT-5 release. The company said it brought back GPT-4o after receiving feedback from Plus and Pro users who needed more time to transition key use cases like creative ideation and preferred the model’s conversational style and warmth.
That user feedback directly influenced the development of GPT-5.1 and GPT-5.2, according to OpenAI. The newer models include improvements to personality, stronger support for creative ideation, and more customization options for how ChatGPT responds, including base styles and tones like “Friendly” and controls for warmth and enthusiasm.
OpenAI said only 0.1% of users still choose GPT-4o each day, with the vast majority of usage shifting to GPT-5.2. The company announced the retirement now because the improvements from user feedback are in place.
The company plans additional updates to address what it described as unnecessary refusals and overly cautious or preachy responses. OpenAI said it is working toward a version of ChatGPT designed for adults over 18 that treats “adults like adults” and expands user choice within appropriate safeguards.
To support age-appropriate experiences, OpenAI has implemented age prediction for users under 18 in most markets. The company acknowledged that losing access to GPT-4o will frustrate some users but said retiring older models allows it to focus on improving the models most people use today.
