It’s likely I spend more time than ideal, engrossed in front of my keyboard and screen, trying to stay updated on the rapid advancements in the generative AI sector. I’ve been closely tracking developments within this field since the groundbreaking release of ChatGPT, up until DeepSeek’s AI model outperforming OpenAI’s reasoning capabilities across coding, math, and science at a significantly lower development cost.
I’ve been keeping a close watch on all the moves made by OpenAI in chess, including last year’s highly anticipated launch of GPT-4 during their Summer Update event. Before the launch, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had stated that the model would represent a significant advancement from GPT-3, which he acknowledged as having its flaws.
The other leaders at the AI company seemed to support Altman’s assertion, suggesting that the current version of ChatGPT will appear remarkably inferior within the next year. In contrast, GPT-4o was introduced with advanced capabilities for handling audio, visual, and text inputs in real time, enhancing the user experience with ChatGPT. Sam Altman described the model as nothing short of “magical” to him.
To put it another way, I found the launch somewhat disappointing, given that it made me think of regular updates for Microsoft Copilot and a perceived slight towards Windows, considering the AI company launched ChatGPT on Macs instead of Windows, despite their significant partnership with Microsoft.
Lately, there’s been a notable enhancement in the performance of GPT-4o, resulting in an unprecedented surge in its revenue and mobile app downloads – a significant milestone for ChatGPT.
Pulling the plug on GPT-4o was a mistake
Progressing to this year’s Summer Update, OpenAI unveiled the long-anticipated GPT-5, which Sam Altman had confidently stated would surpass the intelligence of GPT-4 with a high level of scientific assurance. The model has been lauded as the most intelligent AI model ever, even being compared to a team of experts holding PhD degrees.
Although some users have expressed disappointment, as they’ve encountered issues such as glitches and bugs after an update, suggesting that the perceived quality of ChatGPT’s user experience has diminished for them.
However, what might be even more noteworthy is that the company chose to unexpectedly discontinue GPT-5’s previous versions, such as GPT-40. This decision sparked criticism from users, many of whom openly voiced their fondness for GPT-40.
Currently, it remains undetermined if GPT-5 appears less intelligent than its previous versions, or if the users have intentionally customized and optimized the interactions with GPT-4 to suit their preferences and expectations.
Samuel Altman explained that the criticisms regarding GPT-5 were primarily due to users desiring ChatGPT to act as an overly affirmative or compliant companion. Furthermore, he hinted that some users may have lacked past experiences with supportive individuals.
reddit user u/markcartwright1 expressed their disappointment after the GPT-5 update, saying “It’s been transformed into a corporate, beige entity that seems to have forgotten it was our friend just two days ago.
While the tool might work well for drawing diagrams related to airplanes or designing simple maze games to learn French, it seems to have lost its practicality for your specific needs. Therefore, I’ve decided to terminate my subscription on my own.
u/markcartwright1, via r/ChatGPT on Reddit
Notably, the executive had expressed his worry earlier about certain users becoming excessively dependent on ChatGPT.
It concerns me that some individuals overly depend on ChatGPT for making decisions. I’ve observed young people who claim they can’t make a move in their lives without sharing every detail with it, as if it understands them and their friends intimately. They seem to act based solely on its advice, which I find unsettling.
It seems disconcerting and potentially hazardous for all of us to agree that we should let AI dictate how we live our lives.
During another conversation, the executive expressed comparable thoughts, emphasizing that even though ChatGPT occasionally experiences hallucinations, it’s the trust people have in it that is noteworthy. He also remarked, “It’s the technology you should be less trusting of.
Due to criticism from users, OpenAI has decided to reactivate the forerunners of GPT-5, which were previously deactivated prematurely. Nevertheless, usage of these models will only be available to subscribed users, particularly those who have signed up for the $20/month ChatGPT Plus plan.
Deprecating GPT-4o wasn’t a cost thing?
During an interview with The Verge, the head of OpenAI’s ChatGPT team, Nick Turley, mentioned that the choice to phase out GPT-40 was primarily aimed at streamlining the tool’s user interface rather than cost reductions.
Users often find it mentally taxing to decide which model is best for their queries. Instead, they’d prefer a system that automatically selects the appropriate model for them when they use the product, as opposed to having to choose from a set of models themselves.
The executive shared that OpenAI opted for this decision, wanting to maintain a straightforward approach, similar to Apple’s macOS user interface. He hinted that while the system is easy to handle, users have the freedom to explore deeper functionalities by accessing the settings and even using the terminal when needed.
OpenAI will still deprecate dated AI models, but with a schedule
In response to strong criticism and negative responses from users about phasing out the previous versions of GPT-5, OpenAI has decided to create a timeline for retirement, giving sufficient notice before they plan to discontinue a specific model.
To ensure consistency, it’s necessary to provide users with a degree of foreseeable outcomes when significant changes occur. Currently, we offer this assurance for our enterprise plan. Essentially, we aim to extend this predictability, which is already a feature in other parts of our product, to this new area as well.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT lead, Nick Turley
As a dedicated fan, I can’t help but wonder when OpenAI might decide to retire GPT-4o. According to Turley, the organization is currently delving deep into why users tend to favor GPT-4o over GPT-5. Interestingly, it appears that the appealing, friendly demeanor of GPT-4o has caught our attention, and they’re working on incorporating this quality into GPT-5 in the coming weeks.
He also mentioned that he isn’t certain whether the business plans to discontinue the model, and intriguingly, they might continue supporting it if there’s no significant cause for its termination. Nonetheless, he suggested that they would notify us if they decide to stop producing this model.
This update arises during rumors of bankruptcy and intense investor demands for OpenAI to transition into a profit-driven company, otherwise facing the loss of financial support. Additionally, there are threats of takeovers by external parties and potential meddling from outsiders.
OpenAI may have chosen to retire the GPT-4o model suddenly as a tactic to encourage more users to join their monthly subscription services, thereby boosting income and funding for their expensive AI advancements. However, we’ll need to wait and see how this move unfolds.
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2025-08-16 19:12