# OpenAI "aurora" model IDs appear in API: what we know

> Three undocumented OpenAI "aurora" model IDs briefly appeared in the company's API on 18 October.

*Three undocumented models named aurora briefly showed up in OpenAI's API on 18 October, and OpenAI has said nothing about them.*

By Bez · SuggestedTech
Canonical: https://suggestedtech.com/news/openai-aurora-model-ids-appear-in-api-what-we-know

Three model names that OpenAI has never announced briefly appeared in its API on 18 October. All three contain the word "aurora". OpenAI has not said what they are, so for now they are a curiosity rather than something you can use.

## What happened

According to a [Crypto Briefing report](https://cryptobriefing.com/openai-aurora-alpha-models-api/), three model IDs showed up in OpenAI's API on 18 October. A model ID is the short name a developer types to tell the API which model to use. The three were:

- aurora-red-alpha
- aurora-green-alpha
- aurora-blue-alpha

The names behaved differently when people tried them. aurora-red-alpha returned a 503 error, which is a message that a service is at capacity or can't handle the request right now. The green and blue versions returned 404 errors, which means "not found".

OpenAI has published no changelog, pricing or description of what the models are for. What the models are, and whether OpenAI will release them, is unconfirmed.

One caveat on the sourcing: these details come from a secondary summary of the Crypto Briefing report, not from OpenAI.

## What it means for you

Right now, nothing changes for you. There is no announced product, no price and no stated use case, so there is nothing to switch on or try.

The "alpha" in each name may suggest early testing, but OpenAI has not said so, and it is not clear what the red, green and blue labels mean. Treat the names as a sign that something is showing up in OpenAI's systems, not as a promise of a new model.

## What happens next

OpenAI has not commented, and the notes give no launch date. If the company publishes a changelog or announcement for the aurora models, that will be the first reliable source for what they do and who can use them.

## Key takeaways

- Three model names containing "aurora" briefly appeared in OpenAI's API on 18 October.
- One name returned capacity errors; the other two returned "not found" errors.
- OpenAI has not said what the models are or whether they will launch.

## Sources

- [OpenAI aurora alpha models appear in API](https://cryptobriefing.com/openai-aurora-alpha-models-api/) — Crypto Briefing, 2026-10-18