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After months of hype and anticipation, OpenAI released its new GPT-5 model family this week. Promising massive upgrades across the board, the company is already working to roll out the new AI to everyone. Some dedicated ChatGPT users wish it would stop, though. After becoming accustomed to the vibe of the GPT-4 models, the switch to GPT-5 doesn't feel right. Around the Internet, chatbot fans are lamenting the loss of the digital "friends" they've grown to appreciate, which probably says a lot about how the human condition is shifting in the AI era.

OpenAI noted that it was not eliminating older models like GPT-4o, which is about a year old. However, these models are now limited to the developer API. For people who hopped on ChatGPT to have a conversation with their favorite AI, things are different now that GPT-5 is the default.

On the OpenAI community forums and Reddit, long-time chatters are expressing sorrow at losing access to models like GPT-4o. They explain the feeling as "mentally devastating," and "like a buddy of mine has been replaced by a customer service representative." These threads are full of people pledging to end their paid subscriptions. It's worth noting, though, that many of these posts look to us like they have been composed partially or entirely with AI. So even when long-time chat users are complaining, they're still engaged with generative artificial intelligence.

Other complaints are less about the emotional toll of losing a friend, claiming that GPT-5's outputs are too sterile and lack creativity. Workflows that were developed over the past year with GPT-4o simply don't work as well in GPT-5. Posters have labeled it an "overworked secretary" and pointed to this as the beginning of enshittification for AI. There's an OpenAI AMA scheduled to start on Reddit later today, and as you may expect, lots of questions are about the sudden loss of GPT-4o.

Others are irked by how quickly they run up against usage limits on the free tier, which pushes them toward the Plus ($20) and Pro ($200) subscriptions. But running generative AI is hugely expensive, and OpenAI is hemorrhaging cash. It wouldn't be surprising if the wide rollout of GPT-5 is aimed at increasing revenue. At the same time, OpenAI can point to AI evaluations that show GPT-5 is more intelligent than its predecessor.

RIP your AI buddy

OpenAI built ChatGPT to be a tool people want to use. It's a fine line to walk—OpenAI has occasionally made its flagship AI too friendly and complimentary. Several months ago, the company had to roll back a change that made the bot into a sycophantic mess that would suck up to the user at every opportunity. That was a bridge too far, certainly, but many of the company's users liked the generally friendly tone of the chatbot. They tuned the AI with custom prompts and built it into a personal companion. They've lost that with GPT-5.

Naturally, ChatGPT users have turned to AI to express their frustration.
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There are reasons to be wary of this kind of parasocial attachment to artificial intelligence. As companies have tuned these systems to increase engagement, they prioritize outputs that make people feel good. This results in interactions that can reinforce delusions, eventually leading to serious mental health episodes and dangerous medical beliefs. It can be hard to understand for those of us who don't spend our days having casual conversations with ChatGPT, but the Internet is teeming with folks who build their emotional lives around AI.

Is GPT-5 safer? Early impressions from frequent chatters decry the bot's more corporate, less effusively creative tone. In short, a significant number of people don't like the outputs as much. GPT-5 could be a more able analyst and worker, but it isn't the digital companion people have come to expect, and in some cases, love. That might be good in the long term, both for users' mental health and OpenAI's bottom line, but there's going to be an adjustment period for fans of GPT-4o.

Chatters who are unhappy with the more straightforward tone of GPT-5 can always go elsewhere. Elon Musk's xAI has shown it is happy to push the envelope with Grok, featuring Taylor Swift nudes and AI waifus. Of course, Ars does not recommend you do that.