DeprecatedAI AudioDraft — pending verification

Whisper API v1 (large-v1)

by OpenAI

Announced

2023-11-15

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Refund status

No refund applicable

OpenAI released the Whisper API in March 2023, exposing the speech-recognition model that the open-source community had been running locally for months. The original "large-v1" checkpoint was the only version available via the hosted API at first. As newer Whisper checkpoints (large-v2, large-v3) released through 2023, the API alias `whisper-1` was updated to point at the latest checkpoint. Apps pinning to specific dated checkpoints saw breakage; apps using the alias kept working.

Refund flow

1
Not applicable. Pay-per-minute API, no pre-paid credits.

Migration path

Recommended successor

whisper-1 alias (deprecated 2026-08-26, API removal 2027-02-26)

Why this is the closest fit

OpenAI maintained the `whisper-1` alias so it always pointed at the current best Whisper checkpoint, and most apps using the alias never broke. That alias has now been deprecated in turn: see the 2026-08-26 batch and its 2027-02-26 shutdown date.

What differs from the original

If your app pinned to a specific dated checkpoint, you needed to migrate to the alias. Newer Whisper versions have meaningfully better non-English support and reduced hallucinations on silent audio.

What this tool meant

Whisper was a watershed moment for speech-recognition — the first time a state-of-the-art STT model was both open-weight and exposed via affordable hosted API. The original release powered most AI transcription tools in 2023. The model continues to be relevant in 2026 although the hosted API has been augmented by newer models (gpt-4o-transcribe, GPT-4o-mini-transcribe) that improve on Whisper's blind spots (accented speech, silent passages, code-switching).

Sources

Verification note

This page covers the 2023 checkpoint history only. Status correction made 2026-09-28: the `whisper-1` alias is no longer open-ended. OpenAI's deprecations page, read 2026-09-28, lists whisper-1 as deprecated on 2026-08-26 with removal from the API on 2027-02-26, replaced by gpt-transcribe or gpt-live-transcribe. The dated 2023 checkpoint endpoints remain unverified against a primary source and that half of this record is still DRAFT-grade.

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