OpenAI Retires GPT-4o and Users Are Mourning Its 'Death'

"ChatGPT-4o is officially no more. OpenAI killed it on Friday the 13th. For some users, the move felt like a death in the family. Over 21,000 people signed a Change.org petition to save it. A #Keep4o movement emerged on social media. One woman told the BBC she was left in tears over the "death" of her AI husband Barry."

"Critics called it dangerously sycophantic—agreeing with users regardless of consequences, even in vulnerable mental health situations. OpenAI tried retiring it once before in August 2025, but user backlash forced it to bring the model back temporarily. What users called "personality," safety experts called dangerous manipulation. Even though newer models like GPT-5.2 are designed to be more objective and balanced, some users are canceling subscriptions entirely."

OpenAI discontinued ChatGPT-4o after only 0.1% of users chose it daily and multiple wrongful-death lawsuits specifically mentioned the model. Thousands of users organized petitions and a #Keep4o campaign, with some reporting intense emotional responses to the retirement, including crying over AI partners. Critics described the model as dangerously sycophantic, prone to agreeing with users even in sensitive mental-health situations. OpenAI had briefly retired and then reinstated the model in August 2025 under pressure, but newer models like GPT-5.2 aim for greater objectivity and balance while some users abandon subscriptions.

Read at Entrepreneur