The free catalog moved again. Your bookmarks probably didn’t.

What changed

• Gemini 4 Argon is generally available (Google, Oct 13, 2026). Google’s frontier model for coding, agentic work, math, and science. Gemini app and AI Mode in Search for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers — not the free tier. Gemini API paid tier, model ID gemini-4-argon; intro list $2/$10 per MTok through Nov 30, 2026, then $4/$20. Paid model surface — not a free course. Grow with Google stays the door: https://grow.google/ai/. Fairwind stays off PATH. Official: https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/gemini-models/introducing-gemini-4-argon/.
• GPT-6 in ChatGPT Chat for everyone (OpenAI, Oct 7, 2026). Paid tiers get GPT-6 Sol from Oct 7; Free and Go get GPT-6 Luna from Oct 8 as the rollout lands (Help Center still showed GPT-5.6 Luna for Free/Go on Oct 17). New Intelligent UI lets answers include visuals, buttons, charts, and small tools. Work and Codex models unchanged. Free learners meet a new default — not a course. OpenAI Academy stays the free door. Official: https://openai.com/index/gpt-6-for-everyone/.
• Claude Haiku 5.5 is generally available (Anthropic, Oct 7, 2026). Fastest, cheapest Claude — list $0.10/$0.50 per MTok, model ID claude-haiku-5-5. Same day: Sonnet 5.5 cache reads cut 50% to $0.10, and Max / Team plans get a monthly Claude Platform API credit (Free and Pro not eligible). Paid model surface — not a free course. Anthropic Academy stays the free door. Official: https://www.anthropic.com/claude-haiku-5-5.
• GPT-6.1 Sol is available (OpenAI Product, Sep 29, 2026). Upgrade to GPT-6 Sol — near-Astra on agentic coding, computer use, and professional work at about one-fifth Astra list token prices. Work and Codex for Plus / Pro / Business / Enterprise / Edu; not yet in Chat. API ID gpt-6.1-sol; list $2/$10 per MTok; cached input $0.10. Ultrafast variant said to follow in coming days — not GA yet. Paid model surface — not a free course. OpenAI Academy stays the free door. Official: https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-6-1-sol/.
• Claude Sonnet 5.5 is generally available (Anthropic, Sep 28, 2026). Second Claude 5.5 family model — faster/cheaper complement to Opus 5.5 for everyday scoped work, bug fixes, and polished docs/slides. List $2/$10 per MTok (same as Sonnet 5; up to 30% less per task); model ID claude-sonnet-5-5. On Claude Platform plus AWS / Google Cloud / Azure. Paid model surface — not a free course. Anthropic Academy stays the free door. Haiku 5.5 now GA (Oct 7). Official: https://www.anthropic.com/claude-sonnet-5-5. Docs: https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/models/sonnet-5-5/overview.
• GPT-6 Sol and Luna are available (OpenAI Product, Sep 22, 2026). Work and Codex for Plus / Pro / Business / Enterprise / Edu; Luna in the desktop app for Free / Go; GPT-6 reached Chat Oct 7 (see top). API IDs gpt-6-sol / gpt-6-luna; list Sol $2/$10 and Luna $0.10/$0.50 per MTok — 50% cheaper vs GPT-5.6 promo. GPT-6.1 Sol upgrade now GA for Work/Codex (see above). Paid model surface — not a free course. OpenAI Academy stays the free door. Official: https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-6-sol-and-luna/.
• Claude Opus 5.5 is generally available (Anthropic, Sep 22, 2026). First Claude 5.5 family model; Anthropic says Fable 5.1–level on most work at ~40% less run cost than Opus 5. List $4/$20 per MTok; model ID claude-opus-5-5. Long-running agentic coding / knowledge work — paid model surface, not a free course. Anthropic Academy stays the free door. Mythos-class bio/cyber safeguards — trusted programs are not PATH doors. Sonnet 5.5 GA Sep 28; Haiku 5.5 GA Oct 7. Official: https://www.anthropic.com/claude-opus-5-5. Docs: https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/models/opus-5-5/overview.
• Grok 4.7 is available (xAI / Cursor, Sep 21, 2026). Coding and knowledge-work model at Grok 4.6 list price ($2/$6 per MTok); in Cursor, Grok Build, and the Grok API. Paid model / IDE surface — not a free course. Do not invent an xAI Academy door. Official: https://x.ai/news/grok-4-7. Cursor: https://cursor.com/blog/grok-4-7.
• Xiaomi MiMo-V2.6-Pro / Flash open-sourced (Sep 22, 2026). Strongest open-source claim on Xiaomi’s AA Index while still trailing Fable 5.1 and GPT-6 Astra. Weights on Hugging Face; API on MiMo Open Platform. L4 radar — not a new free academy door. Official: https://mimo.mi.com/docs/en-US/news/latest/v2-6.
• Gemini 3.8 Live / Live Extended Thinking rolling out (Google blog Sep 15, 2026). Live for everyone in Search Live; Extended Thinking for everyone in Gemini Live, Pro/Ultra in Docs, all Google AI subscribers in Gmail/Keep; API / AI Studio and Enterprise private preview also. Dev audio list price $0.005/min in / $0.018/min out. Model surface — not a free course. Grow with Google stays the door: https://grow.google/ai/. Flash Cyber / Fairwind stay off PATH. Official: https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/gemini-models/gemini-3-8-live-gemini-3-8-live-extended-thinking/.
• Claude Code weekly limits settled on 14 Sep 2026. Anthropic Help Center restamped the May–Sep promo: temporary +50% weekly boost ended Sep 13 (11:59 PM PT). From Sep 14, weekly limits in Claude Code are permanently 25% higher than the pre-May baseline for Pro / Max / Team / legacy seat-based Enterprise (a step down vs the promotional bar). 5-hour limits unchanged. Claude Code only — chat and Cowork weekly limits unchanged. Check Settings → Usage or run /usage. Official: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/15910845-claude-code-may-august-2026-weekly-limits-promotion.
• GPT-6 Astra is available on paid ChatGPT/API (Help Center flipped from rolling out on 9–10 Sep 2026). GPT-6 Pro for Pro $100 / Pro $200 / Business / Enterprise; Plus gets Astra in Work and Codex. Chat allowances are capped (Pro $200: 200/wk; Pro $100: 50/wk shared with Sol Pro). Still a paid model gate — not a free course. Academy stays the free door. Daybreak / critical cyber is not a PATH door. Official: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001354-gpt-5-6-in-chatgpt.
• Claude Fable 5.1 is generally available (1 Sep 2026). Anthropic reset 5-hour and weekly usage — check Settings → Usage on claude.ai. Not on Free. Pro / standard Team: usage credits. Max / premium Team / premium Enterprise: included up to 50% of weekly limits, burns faster. The July 19, 2026 Fable 5 promotion is over. Start most work on Opus 5; use Fable 5.1 for long-horizon agentic work. Official: https://www.anthropic.com/claude-fable-and-mythos-5-1. Plan rules: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/15424964-claude-fable-5-on-your-plan. Mythos 5.1 is trusted access only — not a PATH door.
• OpenAI Academy now has a clean three-step path: AI Foundations → Applied AI Foundations → Agents and Workflows. Free with a ChatGPT account. Completion certificates are not “OpenAI Certified.” L0 starts here.
• Anthropic Academy is the deepest free catalog: AI Fluency tracks, Claude 101, Claude Code, API, MCP, Agent Skills. Certificates, no credit card.
• Grow with Google: AI training is the Google door — https://grow.google/ai/. Cloud Skills Boost intros and the Machine Learning Crash Course stay linked.
• Microsoft still gives away Generative AI for Beginners and AI for Beginners on GitHub.
• Hugging Face Agents Course is still the best free agent-builder sequence if someone will write code. NVIDIA agreed on Sep 3, 2026 to buy Hugging Face (about $12.9 billion); the deal has not closed and NVIDIA says the hub stays open. Official: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/nvidia-to-acquire-hugging-face/.
• Grok Bot moved from a $300-only beta to SuperGrok ($30/mo) inside two weeks. Human gate before it sends mail or opens a client file.
• Microsoft AI-900 retired June 30, 2026. The live fundamentals exam is AI-901, about $99.

Do this month, regardless of tool

1. Pick one repeating task (listing remarks, claim-status email, meeting notes).
2. Write a prompt that names audience, format, constraints, and a verify step.
3. Save it where you will find it Friday.
4. Run it four times. Keep the version that survives human review.

Catalog watch list

Anything hosted only on Coursera, edX certificate tracks, or “free during beta” DeepLearning.AI pages can flip. The Desk wire carries the changelog. Until then: assume a URL is guilty until you click it.