Model Lifecycle Policy

NaviGator AI Chat will offer the latest generation of models from each provider. Older generations will be retired at semester boundaries so the model list stays current, predictable, and easy to support in a classroom setting.

This policy will apply to all models in NaviGator AI Chat, including commercial cloud provider models and open-weight models hosted locally.

What Will Be Offered

• For each supported provider, NaviGator AI Chat will offer that provider's latest generation of models. This will include the full range of that generation, not a single model — for example, flagship, lightweight, and reasoning variants where the provider offers them.
• When a provider releases a newer generation, those models will be evaluated and added to NaviGator AI Chat.
• Models from the previous generation will be retired according to the schedule below.

When a New Model Is Released

If a provider releases a new generation during a semester:

• The new model will be added to NaviGator AI Chat once it has been evaluated and is ready for use.
• The previous generation model will remain available for the remainder of that semester, so coursework and work in progress are not disrupted mid-semester.
• At the end of the semester, the previous generation model will be removed from NaviGator AI Chat.
• The next semester will begin with the newer generation only.

During any semester you may see both the current and previous generation from a provider. You will not carry a retired model into a new semester.

Semester Boundaries

Retirements will be aligned to the end of the University of Florida academic semesters:

Semester	Retirements will take effect
Fall	After Fall final exams
Spring	After Spring final exams
Summer	After Summer C final exams

Exact dates will follow the UF academic calendar for that year and will be published in the Changelog ahead of the change.

Model Removal

When a model is removed from NaviGator AI Chat:

• It will no longer appear in the model picker and cannot be selected for new or existing conversations.
• Existing conversations will not be automatically migrated to a replacement model. To continue a conversation that used a retired model, select a currently available model.
• Conversation history will be preserved and will remain readable.
• Responses may differ between generations. Re-test prompts, custom instructions, and shared workflows after switching models.

Availability in NaviGator AI Toolkit

Removal from NaviGator AI Chat is not an end-of-life event for the model itself.

• Models retired from NaviGator AI Chat will remain available through NaviGator AI Toolkit via the API.
• Those models will remain in Toolkit until they reach end of life under the platform-wide NaviGator AI Model Lifecycle Policy.
• If you have an application, integration, or research workflow that depends on a specific model version, use NaviGator AI Toolkit rather than NaviGator AI Chat.

Notifications

• Model additions and removals will be announced in the Changelog.
• Retirements scheduled for the end of a semester will be announced before that semester ends.

Summary

Event	NaviGator AI Chat	NaviGator AI Toolkit
New generation released during a semester	Both generations will be available for the rest of the semester	Both will be available
End of that semester	Previous generation will be removed	Previous generation will remain
Next semester	Latest generation only	Both will be available
Model reaches platform end of life	Already removed	Will be removed