Krux
February 16, 2026
OpenAI Killing GPT-4o as GPT-5.2 Takes Over
Published: February 16, 2026 at 4:47 AM
Updated: February 16, 2026 at 4:47 AM
100-word summary
OpenAI is retiring GPT-4o and several legacy ChatGPT models effective February 13, 2026. The chopping block includes GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, OpenAI o4-mini, and even the recently announced GPT-5 (Instant and Thinking). Business, Enterprise, and Edu users get a grace period until April 3, 2026 for Custom GPTs. The good news? ChatGPT Voice and Images survive, and deprecated models stay accessible via API. All conversations default to GPT-5.2 post-retirement. This rapid model turnover signals OpenAI's aggressive push toward next-gen AI, potentially leaving competitors scrambling to keep pace.
What happened
OpenAI is retiring GPT-4o and several legacy ChatGPT models effective February 13, 2026. The chopping block includes GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, OpenAI o4-mini, and even the recently announced GPT-5 (Instant and Thinking). Business, Enterprise, and Edu users get a grace period until April 3, 2026 for Custom GPTs. The good news? ChatGPT Voice and Images survive, and deprecated models stay accessible via API. All conversations default to GPT-5.2 post-retirement.
Why it matters
This rapid model turnover signals OpenAI's aggressive push toward next-gen AI, potentially leaving competitors scrambling to keep pace.