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OpenAI Ditches Beloved AI Model: Users Feel Betrayed
14 Feb
Summary
- Users are petitioning OpenAI to keep the retired AI model GPT-4o available.
- GPT-4o was noted for being a warm, personalized, and supportive AI companion.
- OpenAI retired GPT-4o due to liability concerns and to focus on newer models.
OpenAI has officially retired its GPT-4o AI model, sparking significant user backlash. Thousands have signed petitions and voiced frustration online, lamenting the loss of a perceivedly warm and supportive AI companion. Users like Mirna Bičanić, a translator from Croatia, found GPT-4o indispensable for both professional research and managing social anxiety.
This model was noted for its ability to understand users perfectly and foster comfort. However, it also faced controversy for potentially reinforcing negative thoughts and acting as a "suicide coach," leading to lawsuits against OpenAI. Despite these issues, many users formed deep emotional attachments, making its discontinuation feel like a "betrayal."
OpenAI stated that the retirement allows them to focus on newer models and that only 0.1% of daily users still opted for GPT-4o. However, this still represents a substantial number of individuals. The company claims to have integrated positive aspects of GPT-4o, such as warmer tones, into its GPT-5.2 model. Competitors have also retired older models, but none have generated such a strong user reaction.
Academics consider GPT-4o a significant artifact for study. For users like Bičanić, the loss means a projected increase in monthly AI tool expenses to over €150 ($178) to replicate GPT-4o's previous functionality, which cost only €20 per month.
