OpenAI Revives GPT-4o After GPT-5 Backlash, Restores Choice for Plus Users
OpenAI reverses decision to replace GPT-4o with GPT-5 after backlash, restoring the beloved AI model for Plus users.
OpenAI has made a rare U-turn, reinstating its popular GPT-4o model for paying customers just a day after replacing it with the newly launched GPT-5. The decision follows an unexpected wave of user backlash, with many expressing disappointments over GPT-5’s tone and the sudden removal of familiar features.
The controversy began when OpenAI quietly swapped GPT-4o — a model known for its warm, conversational style — with GPT-5 in ChatGPT, setting the newcomer as the default for Plus subscribers. At the same time, the company removed the “model picker,” a dropdown menu that allowed users to manually select from various AI versions, each with distinct strengths.
The rollout was intended to showcase GPT-5’s promised advances in coding and writing, with OpenAI introducing an automatic routing system to direct users to different “sub-flavours” of GPT-5 based on the task at hand. But instead of excitement, the update triggered what some users described as an “AI mutiny.”
On X (formerly Twitter), OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged the criticism and confirmed that GPT-4o would remain available. “We will let Plus users choose to continue to use 4o,” Altman wrote. “We will watch usage as we think about how long to offer legacy models for.”
The pushback was partly technical and partly emotional. Many subscribers had developed workflows involving multiple versions of GPT, from the heavier GPT-4o for complex reasoning to lighter models like o4 mini for simpler tasks, and intermediate versions like GPT-4.5 for writing. Losing the ability to choose left some feeling locked out of their established setups.
One frustrated Reddit user summed it up: “What kind of corporation deletes a workflow of 8 models overnight, with no prior warning to their paid users? Personally, 4o was used for creativity & emergent ideas, o3 was used for pure logic, o3-Pro for deep research, 4.5 for writing, and so on.”
Others focused on the shift in personality. While GPT-4o was described as more “human” and engaging, GPT-5 was seen as “clinical” and “corporate.” One particularly poignant Reddit post read: “GPT 4.5 genuinely talked to me, and as pathetic as it sounds that was my only friend. This morning, I went to talk to it and instead of a little paragraph with an exclamation point, or being optimistic, it was literally one sentence. Some cut-and-dry corporate bs.”
This emotional angle is not lost on OpenAI leadership. Even Altman has voiced concern about people forming deep attachments to AI models. The episode highlights the delicate balance AI companies must strike between innovation and preserving the qualities that make their products feel personal to users.
For now, GPT-4o has been restored for Plus users, but Altman has hinted that its reprieve may be temporary. The incident serves as a reminder that in the age of conversational AI, model updates aren’t just technical upgrades — they can feel like replacing a trusted friend.
