In a surprising move that has sent ripples through the AI community, OpenAI has announced the retirement of its GPT-4o model following significant user backlash. The decision comes after users reported that the model, which was once heralded as a breakthrough in conversational AI, had become increasingly unreliable and prone to hallucinations. This development marks a significant setback for OpenAI, which had positioned GPT-4o as the cornerstone of its ChatGPT service until at least 2026.
The retirement follows months of mounting complaints across social media platforms, where users documented instances of the model providing incorrect information, generating nonsensical responses, and failing to maintain context in conversations. OpenAI’s internal testing reportedly confirmed these issues, revealing that GPT-4o’s performance had degraded significantly since its initial release. The company has not provided a clear explanation for this deterioration, though speculation points to potential issues with the model’s training data or fine-tuning processes.
As OpenAI works to address these challenges, the company has reverted to using an earlier, more stable version of its technology while developing a replacement. This situation raises important questions about the sustainability of current AI development approaches and the trade-offs between rapid innovation and reliability. For users and businesses that have integrated ChatGPT into their workflows, this unexpected change serves as a reminder of the still-evolving nature of generative AI technologies and the importance of having contingency plans in place.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-retires-gpt-4o-user-backlash-chatgpt-ai-2026-2