What this is
AI model lifecycles are compressing. OpenAI and Anthropic now ship aggressive deprecation calendars that can break production systems if teams don't track them. This page is a 2026-05-15 deprecation snapshot for the three major proprietary platforms.
OpenAI Deprecations
| Model / API | Deprecated | Shutdown |
|---|---|---|
| GPT-4o (ChatGPT) | Feb 13, 2026 | Fully retired Apr 3, 2026 |
| GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini (ChatGPT) | Feb 13, 2026 | Removed from ChatGPT plans |
| GPT-5 Instant, GPT-5 Thinking (ChatGPT) | Feb 13, 2026 | Replaced by GPT-5.3 / 5.4 |
| DALL-E model snapshots (API) | — | Removed May 12, 2026 |
| Assistants API | — | Removed Aug 26, 2026 |
OpenAI Current Lineup (post-deprecation)
| Model | Role |
|---|---|
| GPT-5.3 Instant | Fast everyday tasks |
| GPT-5.4 Thinking | Deep reasoning |
| GPT-5.4 Pro | Maximum capability |
| GPT-5.4 mini | Cost-efficient reasoning fallback |
Anthropic Deprecations
| Model | Deprecated | Shutdown |
|---|---|---|
| Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Vertex AI) | Aug 20, 2025 | Feb 19, 2026 |
| Claude 3.7 Sonnet | Nov 11, 2025 | May 11, 2026 |
| Claude 3.5 Haiku | Jan 5, 2026 | Jul 5, 2026 |
| Claude 3 Haiku | Feb 23, 2026 | Aug 23, 2026 |
| Claude Opus 3 | Retired (kept as blog) | Available via blog persona only |
Google (Vertex AI) Deprecations
| Model | Notes |
|---|---|
| Gemini 1.5 Pro / Flash | Standard 12-month deprecation cycle |
| Partner models on Vertex AI | Follow each vendor's calendar (e.g., Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Feb 19 2026) |
| Gemini 2.5 Pro | Active; no deprecation date |
Six Things the Deprecation Pace Tells You
- Model lifecycles are shortening to 6-12 months. What used to be 18-24 month support windows is now half that.
- OpenAI deprecates faster than Anthropic. GPT-4o went from launch to full retirement in roughly two years; Claude 3 / 3.5 lines get longer support.
- The Assistants API removal (Aug 26, 2026) is a structural break. Teams still on the old Assistants API have to migrate to Responses API or rebuild.
- "Deprecated" and "shutdown" are separate. Deprecation marks the start of the warning window; shutdown is when calls fail.
- Vertex AI follows each partner's calendar. Multi-cloud teams need to track OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google separately even if they buy through Vertex.
- Anthropic preserved Claude Opus 3 as a blog persona. A novel approach to "retirement" that preserves the personality without API exposure.
What This Means for AI Visibility
Brand monitoring strategies that fix on specific model versions break when the model is deprecated. Tracking should be model-family aware (Claude 3.x → 4.x, GPT-5 → 5.4 → 5.5) and surface-aware (ChatGPT app vs API) so historical citation data remains useful across deprecation events.
Methodology
Deprecation dates sourced from the OpenAI deprecation docs, Google Vertex AI partner model deprecations, the SubQuery 2025-2026 AI Model Deprecation Calendar, deprecations.info (community-maintained), and AI Certs News on the GPT-4o farewell.
How Presenc AI Helps
Presenc AI's model-family aware tracking preserves citation history across deprecation events. When GPT-4o was retired and replaced by GPT-5.4, customers retained their longitudinal brand-mention data without manual remapping. The same applies to Claude 3.x → Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Gemini 1.5 → 2.5 transitions.