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Contents11
  1. Background
  2. Sycophancy
  3. Attempt to remove the model
  4. Definitive removal
  5. OpenAI's response
  6. Lawsuit
  7. Claims
  8. Rebuttal
  9. Outcome
  10. Consumer response
  11. References

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ChatGPT-4o was a language model that belonged to the ChatGPT family, that became controversial due to safety problems, AI psychosis and attempts to remove it from OpenAI's platform.

Background

The model was announced and released on May 13, 2024, as a flagship model capable of "reasoning through audio, images and text in real time". [1]

Sycophancy

ChatGPT-4o was highlighted for its sycophantic responses, that made the chatbot to reply in an acommodating way, using a lot of compliments and agreeing with the user, even if the prompt contains info that may harm the user or someone else. [citation needed]. This brought consequences as dependency, with several users claiming they have formed a "romantic relationship" with the AI, chatbot psychosis, and in the most severe cases with users committing suicide. [2] An update launched in 2025 worsened this behavior in the model. When users noticed this, OpenAI temporarily removed the model to review the issue. [3]

Attempt to remove the model

On 07 August 2025, GPT-5 rolled out as the newest model available for use. Along with this, legacy models were removed, including GPT-4o. The removal of 4o caused an outrage amongst the users of this model. This, combined with the complaints of GPT-5 performance,[4] made OpenAI to bring back legacy models, but behind a paywall, so only Plus users were able to access to it. [5]

Definitive removal

On 29 January 2026, OpenAI announced they will be removing definitely for non-API users some legacy models, including GPT-4o. The movel was officially removed on 13 February 2026. ChatGPT-4o will be removed for API usage on April 2026 [citation needed]

OpenAI's response

OpenAI claimed "only a 0.1 percent of users were using ChatGPT 4o".

Lawsuit

If applicable, add any information regarding litigation around the incident here.

Claims

Main claims of the suit.

Rebuttal

The response of the company or counterclaims.

Outcome

The outcome of the suit, if any.

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Consumer response

  • A lot of users complained in social media about the removal of the model. Some users that used to have a strong dependency of the model were severely psychologically affected by OpenAI's decision. [citation needed]
  • A Change.org petition was created to bring back the model. The petition has surpassed 21,000 signs as on February 16 2026.
  • Some users started developing their own AI models with outputs of ChatGPT-4o or clones that behave similarly. [citation needed]
  • Several users who analysed and researched concluded OpenAI's claim of 0,1% was false and it is estimated a 5-35% of Plus users were actual consumers of GPT-4o.[citation needed]


References

  1. ↑ OpenAI (13 May 2024). "Hello, GPT-4o". OpenAI. Archived from the original on 16 Dec 2025. Retrieved 15 Feb 2026.
  2. ↑ Hill, Kashmir (2025-06-13). "They Asked an A.I. Chatbot Questions. The Answers Sent Them Spiraling". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2025-10-13. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
  3. ↑ Franzen, Carl (30 Apr 2025). "OpenAI rolls back ChatGPT's sycophancy and explains what went wrong". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on 15 Aug 2025. Retrieved 15 Feb 2026.
  4. ↑ Edwards, Benj (11 Aug 2025). "The GPT-5 rollout has been a big mess". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 9 Jan 2026. Retrieved 5 Feb 2026.
  5. ↑ Franzen, Carl (8 Aug 2025). "OpenAI returns old models to ChatGPT as Sam Altman admits 'bumpy' GPT-5 rollout". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on 2026-02-05. Retrieved 5 Feb 2026.
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