GPT-4¶

Development line: project:gpt-4 · thread gpt-4-development
Events: 1 dated, 2023-03-09 → 2023-03-09 · Researched: 2026-09-04 · confidence: medium

What it is¶

GPT-4 is an older OpenAI model for preserving existing text-only API integrations.

• Text: accepts and returns text.
• Streaming: supports streaming.
• Fine-tuning: supports fine-tuning.
• Chat Completions: documented interface.

8,192-token context; $30 input and $60 output per million tokens; image, audio, video, function calling, and Structured Outputs are not supported.

Retain it only where compatibility is measured; use a newer model for new work.

Development line¶

• 2023-03-09 — Pre-release forecast for GPT-4. On 2023-03-09, Microsoft Germany stated that GPT-4 was expected the following week and would be multimodal. This statement was a pre-release claim about expected capabilities, not a confirmation of release.

What changed¶

GPT-4 shifted from a general release to a retired ChatGPT model and legacy API role.

• 2023-03-09: pre-release reports forecast an imminent multimodal launch.
• 2023-03-14: OpenAI announced GPT-4 with text and image input and text output. Public access opened with text, while image input remained in limited alpha.
• 2023-06-22: an architecture entry has no URL, so no architectural change can be verified.
• 2023-07-06: API access became generally available to paying developers, with guidance to use Chat Completions rather than legacy Completions.
• 2025-04-30: OpenAI retired GPT-4 from ChatGPT and replaced it with GPT-4o, while leaving the API active.
• 2026-09-04: the individual model page shows gpt-4 as an older default model, while the catalog classifies GPT-4 as Deprecated.

Documented operating limits remain an 8,192-token context and $30/$60 per million text tokens.

Treat GPT-4 as a legacy API model for compatibility, not as a choice for ChatGPT.

How to use this¶

Treat reports from 2023-03-09 as preliminary until primary documentation confirms release capabilities.

1. Skip ChatGPT for GPT-4, because OpenAI retired it there on 2025-04-30; see the ChatGPT release notes. Use it only when existing API integrations require measured legacy behavior.
2. Send an authenticated GET /v1/models/gpt-4 request before deploying to inspect visible model IDs and shutdown dates via the Models API.
3. Post ordered text messages with model set to gpt-4 through the documented endpoint POST /v1/chat/completions, as outlined in Chat Completions.
4. Run task-specific evaluations before keeping or replacing GPT-4, deciding by cost, features, and benchmark scores from evaluation best practices.

Best practices¶

• Run task-specific evaluations continuously and calibrate automated scores with human judgment, following evaluation best practices.
• Maintain human review for high-stakes outputs and provide reviewers with source material to verify answers, per safety best practices.
• Avoid designing GPT-4 workflows around images, audio, tools, or Structured Outputs, as the GPT-4 model reference lists them as unsupported.
• Keep API keys out of source code, separate staging from production, and set spend alerts before traffic starts, as described in production best practices.

Superseded by this¶

• 2023-03-09: treating pre-release forecasts as confirmed availability was superseded by OpenAI's 2023-03-14 launch.
• 2023-03-14: guidance to select GPT-4 in ChatGPT became obsolete on 2025-04-30 when ChatGPT replaced it with GPT-4o.
• 2023-03-14: treating image input as an API capability is obsolete because it remained limited alpha at launch and the current gpt-4 page lists it as unsupported.
• 2023-07-06: general availability guidance is stale because current documentation calls GPT-4 older, categorizes it as Deprecated in the catalog, and requires account verification.

Still unknown¶

• The 2023-06-22 gpt_4_architecture entry lacks a URL and public text, so no architectural claim can be verified.
• The 2023-03-09 entry and the separate openai_gpt4 / gpt4_development route conflict in the registry, leaving it unclear whether they represent duplicate routes or separate subjects.
• Official documentation contradicts itself: the GPT-4 detail page shows a default gpt-4 alias, while the catalog lists GPT-4 as Deprecated. An authenticated Models API check must verify access.

Sources¶

Agent brief¶

• Subject: project:gpt-4, thread gpt-4-development, 1 dated events 2023-03-09 → 2023-03-09.
• Practical note: As of 2023-03-09, treat third-party reports of GPT-4 multimodal release as preliminary until primary documentation confirms availability.
• Confidence: medium. Dated supersedes above are the authority for what is obsolete.