OpenAI Announces Retirement of GPT-5, GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, o4-mini
Narrative
Models will retire from ChatGPT February 13, 2026. Only 0.1% daily users still use GPT-4o. Most migrated to GPT-5.2 family. API access unchanged for now.
Reality
Announcement made January 29. Second attempt to retire GPT-4o after user backlash forced reinstatement in August 2025. Altman acknowledged underestimating user emotional attachment. Petition launched by users. GPT-5.1 and 5.2 incorporated GPT-4o warmth feedback.
Implication
Signals industry shift toward fewer, more capable flagship models. User experience prioritized over model proliferation. Product consolidation strategy. Reflects rapid model improvement cycle. Adult-specific ChatGPT version and age-prediction tools in development.