OpenAI Retires Legacy ChatGPT Models Following GPT-5 Launch, Sparking User Concerns

ChatGPT users dismayed as OpenAI pulls popular models GPT-4o, o3 and more -- enterprise API remains (for now)

Want smarter insights in your inbox? Sign up for our weekly newsletters to get only what matters to enterprise AI, data, and security leaders. Subscribe Now After announcing the release of its newest flagship model family, GPT-5, OpenAI said the model will power all of ChatGPT, and that it will sunset the existing models in the chat platform. OpenAI, through a spokesperson, told VentureBeat that GPT-5 "will replace all other models in ChatGPT, so users don't have to pick depending on each task, which takes effect once you have access to GPT-5." This means people can no longer choose GPT-4o, o3, o4-mini or o4-mini-high. With GPT-5 access rolling out to ChatGPT Plus, Free, Pro and Team users starting, only the Enterprise and Edu tiers can still use the "legacy" models for 60 days. The news came as a surprise to many ChatGPT users, many of whom came to rely on their chosen models to run their everyday queries. Some people said the adjustment would take some time getting used to, mainly because they had based workflows on how the model interacted with them or typical response times. Other users claimed they developed "a connection" to their chosen model and found a demo in the livestream announcement asking GPT-4o to write its own eulogy distasteful. The loss of GPT-4o garnered the most distress. After all, 4o was the default model for ChatGPT, and some users either preferred it or never bothered to switch models because it worked for their needs. I used 4o as the default and found it annoying at first when my custom GPT began defaulting to a reasoning model. I've since come around to the reasoning model for work-related queries, but I still often turn to 4o for quicker questions like planning a trip or generating gift ideas. ChatGPT had come under fire before with the number of model choices it offered, prompting OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to admit in February that its model picker (where people can choose from a dropdown which model they prefer) became complicated. Altman vowed to unify the experience, which now seems like a hint to what they eventually decided to do with GPT-5 on ChatGPT. Last month, rumors circulated that OpenAI would introduce an automatic model router that chooses a model for users based on their workload. OpenAI has sunsetted models before, but this is the first time all existing models on the chat platform will be removed and replaced wholesale. Catapult into the future On the other hand, a lot of people see the sunsetting of GPT-4o and the o3 and o4 family of models as OpenAI "catapulting" 400 million users into the future. Some internet comments claim that people who complain about AI models not being smart are a direct consequence of them never switching models in the first place. Removing legacy models as options will force more users to use the latest and most capable models. Enterprise APIs are safe For enterprises, the impact of losing models like GPT-4o on ChatGPT will be felt more on the individual or team level. Of course, for now, subscribers on the ChatGPT Enterprise tier can still access all of the models. But enterprises that built their applications or agents on either GPT-4o or one of the reasoning models can rest easy. OpenAI told VentureBeat that the company has no plans to deprecate models on the API side. "In the API, we do not currently plan to deprecate older models," the OpenAI spokesperson said. "We will share advanced notice with developers if we decide to sunset models in the future." Many enterprises regularly evaluate models, to the point of even switching from an LLM or a smaller model to save on costs. OpenAI creates dividing line: Sunset of legacy models GPT 4o and o3 causes chaos for ChatGPT users, but enterprise APIs are safe -- for now

OpenAI is pulling older ChatGPT models following GPT-5 launch - so bad news if you use GPT-4 or others at work

Enterprise APIs still include access to older models - but not for long Following OpenAI's launch of GPT-5, its most advanced model to date, the AI giant has removed a number of previous-generation models from its repertoire with immediate effect. The launch of GPT-5 has seen OpenAI officially retire its previous-generation models (GPT-4o, o3, o4-mini and o4-mini-high) for many users, instead moving to make GPT-5 the standard option across all tiers including free accounts. However, it now means users will no longer be able to pick from previous-generation models for their AI tools, which they may have preferred for specific workloads. The launch comes as ChatGPT approaches 700 million weekly users, including five million ChatGPT paying business product users, whose lives it promises to revolutionize by unlocking "greater productivity, efficiency, and creative output." With the launch of OpenAI's latest model, users will no longer be able to pick specific models like GPT-4o for certain tasks, with GPT-5 instead promising to be a unified agent that can respond quickly and reason deeply, all in one place. Enterprise and Edu users will retain access to legacy models for 60 days, with GPT-5 access only arriving a week after its initial launch, meaning they'll only have a short time to consider how to continue moving forwards. Enterprises using the API will also retain access to previous-generation models, which are not planned to be deprecated for now. According to OpenAI's announcement, GPT-5 can now outperform many workers across around 40 fields, including law, sales, logistics and engineering, with around 45% fewer hallucinations than GPT-4o. A number of iterations are also launching, including different preset personalities and tones within GPT-5, a deeper GPT-5 Thinking and GPT-5 Pro, which is available to Pro tier subscribers. GPT-5 mini will also serve as a fallback for lower-tier and free users who meet their regular GPT-5 limit. Even though the GPT-5 family promises a broad range of applications and improved performance, many enterprise users say GPT-4o's performance was best for casual tasks - a model they will no longer be able to use. Surely, though, the change was due to come, as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had previously criticized the model picker for being too complex, hinting at unification. As models improve, including with the launch of GPT-5, OpenAI envisions a world where businesses can realize "better decision-making, improved collaboration, and faster outcomes on high-stakes work."