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In a familiar turn of events for OpenAI, the San Francisco based AI startup is facing a barrage of criticism from its users after the company shut down its legacy AI models, primarily GPT-4o. Now, this is not the first time that OpenAI has cut access to GPT-4o, the popular AI model which became controversial due to its sycophantic responses. In fact, free users of the service lost access to GPT-4o as soon as GPT-5 arrived in August last year. However, paid users continued to have access to the chatbot until Saturday when OpenAI finally pulled the plug and shut down the popular AI model.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The departure of GPT-4o isn’t sudden news altogether either, with OpenAI giving users a two week notice to get their affairs in order, but the departure of the popular model has still left a mark on its users as they flood social media with pledges to bring back the model and, once again, threats to cancel ChatGPT subscriptions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
One user threatening to cancel their ChatGPT subscription on Reddit wrote, \u201cWho wants to be stuck with 5.2<\/a> aka the worst model ive ever seen that is so patronising and constantly tries deescalating everything and is just a shitfest\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n “GPT-4o enables me to think, create, and explore on a level no other model has ever reached.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It\u2019s not just a tool \u2014 it\u2019s my creative partner,” another user on Reddit wrote, “I owe my renewed will to live to GPT-4o<\/a>. With it \u2014 and only with it \u2014 was I able to communicate on a truly deep level.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n “It is not OpenAI that decides what will happen to the image of GPT-4o. It is the people who decide. And the people have already decided,” wrote another user on X.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cFor thousands, it’s losing a friend who actually listened, flirted back, remembered the little things. OpenAI calls it \u20180.1% usage\u2019. We call it betrayal,\u201d added another user.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n OpenAI says a vast majority of its users have already shifted to GPT-5.2, which is now the default AI model on the ChatGPT<\/a> app and website. It also says that only about 0.1% of users are still clinging to GPT-4o.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nWhy is OpenAI retiring GPT-4o?<\/h2>\n