# OpenAI babbage — deprecation status

> Yes — babbage is retired. OpenAI deprecated it on July 6, 2023 and shut it down on January 4, 2024; API requests to it now fail. The recommended replacement is babbage-002.

The second-smallest GPT-3 base model, mostly used for semantic search and cheap classification where latency mattered more than nuance. Retired January 2024 with the rest of the original GPT-3 line.

## Facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Provider | OpenAI |
| Model id | `babbage` |
| Status | Retired |
| Released | June 11, 2020 |
| Deprecated | July 6, 2023 |
| Shutdown | January 4, 2024 (938 days ago) |
| Last verified | July 30, 2026 |

## Replacement

- **babbage-002** (`babbage-002`) · recommended — https://modeldeprecations.dev/openai/babbage-002
  - babbage-002 was the direct replacement and is deprecated in turn, shutting down September 2026.
  - Parameters it accepts: https://modelparams.dev/models/openai/babbage-002

```diff
- "model": "babbage"
+ "model": "babbage-002"
```

## FAQ

### When did OpenAI babbage shut down?

OpenAI babbage shut down on January 4, 2024. API requests to it fail from that date onward.

### What replaces OpenAI babbage?

OpenAI recommends babbage-002 (`babbage-002`) as the replacement for OpenAI babbage. babbage-002 was the direct replacement and is deprecated in turn, shutting down September 2026.

### Is OpenAI babbage still available?

No. OpenAI babbage is retired and no longer served — it was shut down on January 4, 2024. Calls to it return an error.

### How do I migrate from OpenAI babbage to babbage-002?

Swap the model id in your API call: replace "babbage" with "babbage-002". babbage-002 was the direct replacement and is deprecated in turn, shutting down September 2026.

## Sources

- [OpenAI API deprecations](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/deprecations) — accessed 2026-07-30

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Canonical page: https://modeldeprecations.dev/openai/babbage
JSON: https://modeldeprecations.dev/api/v1/models/openai/babbage.json