- OpenAI withdraws GPT-4.5, the final model of GPT-4 that is still available on ChatGPT
- The move closes the chapter on the AI model that helped spark the rise of generative AI.
- Some people are already nostalgic for GPT-4 and GPT-4o, even though the newer models are more capable
It was easy to miss because there was no big announcement, but OpenAI has confirmed that it will be retiring the last of the GPT-4 models from ChatGPT. A simple post in the ChatGPT release notes said: “Today, we continue to retire older models with limited use in ChatGPT so we can better serve our newer, more capable models.”
OpenAI o3 will retire from ChatGPT on August 26, 2026 after a 90-day sunset period, and GPT-4.5 will disappear on June 27, 2026 after a 30-day sunset period, so you still have a limited time to use the models.
Currently, both o3 and GPT-4.5 are only available to paid ChatGPT users through their model settings.
The reaction of X.com users from ChatGPT users expressed the displeasure of many people that these two models were being retired. “To this day, the 4.5 is the best writing model. The o3 was a native pure reasoning model. The 5 series still doesn’t match what those two had,” commented X user Striver.
The AI that changed everything
In many ways, GPT-4 and its derivatives, especially GPT-4o, were the models that changed everything. It was the replacement of ChatGPT-4o with the new ChatGPT-5 that generated such a huge reaction among users that OpenAI actually brought it back for a limited period of time, before finally carrying out its threat to remove it for good, once ChatGPT-5 had improved.
The retirement of GPT-4.5 means that there are no longer GPT-4 models left within ChatGPT, marking the end of a notable chapter in AI history.
GPT-4 was the model that convinced millions of people that AI was no longer a futuristic curiosity. You wrote essays, passed exams, coded apps, analyzed images, and generated excitement and anxiety about what might come next. For many people, it was the first AI that felt genuinely intelligent.
Today, when people argue about whether GPT-4, GPT-4o, GPT-5, or the latest reasoning models are “better,” it often has more to do with how they feel than what they can do. As my colleague Eric Hal Schwartz recently discovered, a chatbot’s personality can have more influence on whether you prefer it than almost anything else.
Bigger, better, less?
AI progress doesn’t always look like a straight line. New models arrive with better benchmarks, faster responses and more capabilities. However, they may also lose some of the qualities that made people connect with previous versions.
OpenAI is betting that few people will miss GPT-4.5 now that successors like GPT-5.5 have taken over. However, the reaction that followed the withdrawal of GPT-4o suggests otherwise. For the first time in the history of computing, people are not just nostalgic for old software. They are nostalgic for the old personalities.
GPT-4 and its derivatives like 4o were the models that transformed AI from a fascinating curiosity to something people actually used, trusted, argued about, and in some cases even fell in love with. It seems like today’s retirement deserved more than a passing mention on a product launch page.
Enjoy your retirement, GPT-4. You’ve earned it.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to receive news, reviews and opinions from our experts in your feeds.
The best laptops for all budgets
