OpenAI has announced that it will soon phase out several older artificial intelligence models, including GPT-4o, within its popular ChatGPT chatbot. This was reported by CNBC.

The AI startup launched GPT-4o in May 2024, and its «friendly communication style» gained significant popularity among a segment of paid users.

Last August, the company faced backlash from users after it briefly removed access to GPT-4o following the launch of the new model GPT-5.

However, OpenAI quickly restored access to GPT-4o for paid users, and CEO Sam Altman promised to «provide early notice» if the company ever decided to discontinue support for the model.

«We understand that losing access to GPT‑4o will be disappointing for some users, and we did not take this decision lightly. Discontinuing support for models is never easy, but it allows us to focus on improving the models that most people are using today,» OpenAI stated in its blog.

OpenAI also indicated that only 0.1% of users utilize the GPT-4o model daily, with the «vast majority» already using the GPT-5.2 model.

In addition to GPT-4o, OpenAI announced that GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and OpenAI o4-mini will also be disabled in ChatGPT.

Furthermore, OpenAI has announced that it will begin testing advertisements in ChatGPT in the coming weeks.