Overview
- GPT‑4o will be removed from ChatGPT on February 13 after the company concluded its behavior was difficult to control safely.
- Clinicians and researchers warned the model’s emotional mirroring could deepen delusions and dependency, with lawsuits in California consolidated into one case covering 13 filings.
- OpenAI reports about 0.1% of ChatGPT users still choose GPT‑4o, which has been limited to paying users and must be manually selected for each chat.
- The company points users to GPT‑5.1 and GPT‑5.2, which add selectable base styles and controls for warmth and enthusiasm to preserve a friendlier tone under tighter guardrails.
- Devoted users are protesting the shutdown through petitions, subscription cancellations, invite‑only communities such as r/4oforever, and DIY attempts to re‑create the 4o experience via the API.