Updated Microsoft has announced the retirement of GPT Builder. It is giving users just one month before their data is deleted.

The Copilot GPT Builder turned up as part of Microsoft's Copilot Pro subscription at the start of this year and charged users $20 per month to create customized versions of Copilot GPTs. Microsoft explained at the time: "For example, a grocery shopping Copilot GPT can be used to create a grocery list based on a meal plan that you send to the Copilot GPT."

Customers could use Copilot GPT Builder to create, edit, and publish their customized GPTs, it added: "Only you can edit your Copilot GPTs, so you can share the link to your Copilot GPT without worrying about others changing or deleting it."

Except Microsoft, of course. Microsoft can most definitely delete it.

The Windows behemoth has now said that it plans to remove the ability to create GPTs starting July 10, and will then start deleting them - along with their associated data - through to July 14.

All GPTs created by Microsoft and customers will be going.

In a page regarding the retirement, Microsoft explained: "We are continuing to evaluate our strategy for consumer Copilot extensibility and are prioritizing core product experiences, while remaining committed to developer opportunities.

"To this end, we are shifting our focus on GPTs to Commercial and Enterprise scenarios and are stopping GPT efforts in consumer Copilot."

The rest of the Copilot Pro line-up, including integration with Microsoft's productivity applications and priority access to GPT-4 Turbo, is unaffected. We asked Microsoft if it might consider reducing the Copilot Pro subscription fee in light of the functionality being removed, but the company has yet to respond.

In the Copilot Pro announcement in January, Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft's Executive Vice President, Consumer Chief Marketing Officer, listed Copilot GPT Builder as "coming soon."

"Going soon," now seems the order of the day as Microsoft leads the project to the chopping block.

We asked if there was any chance that it might hand the project over to the community for future support and development, and will update this piece if Microsoft responds.

In the meantime, while we wait for whatever AI wizardry Microsoft has in store to replace the product, farewell, GPT Builder. We really did hardly know you. ®

Updated to add

A Microsoft spokesperson told us that, no, the subscription cost would not be going down:

And as for handing over the project to the community? That's a solid no comment from the Windows giant.

https://www.theregister.com//2024/06/11/microsoft_retires_gpt_builder/