DALL-E

Overview

DALL-E (versions 2 and 3) was OpenAI’s image generation model family, commercially launched in 2022–2023. The gpt-image-1 launch in April 2025 commercially deprioritized the DALL-E line; the API was formally deprecated on May 12, 2026.

Timeline

• 2026-05-12-AI-Digest — DALL-E 2 and DALL-E 3 reach API shutdown today per the November 2025 deprecation notice, with OpenAI directing users to migrate to gpt-image-1.5 or gpt-image-1-mini. This is housekeeping rather than a strategic turning point — the gpt-image-1 launch in April 2025 had already commercially deprioritized the DALL-E line, and today’s end-of-life formally closes a transition that effectively ended a year ago.

Key Developments

1. API End-of-Life (May 12, 2026): DALL-E 2 and DALL-E 3 API endpoints shut down, completing the transition to the gpt-image-* lineage. Migration target is gpt-image-1.5 or gpt-image-1-mini; the pricing and capability gap between gpt-image-1.5 and DALL-E 3 is large enough to surface integration issues for any delayed migration.