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OpenAI Discontinues Five Older ChatGPT Versions, Including GPT-4o, Affecting 800,000 Users
OpenAI has confirmed that starting this Friday local time, it will officially cut access to five older ChatGPT models: GPT-4o, GPT-5, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1mini, and OpenAI o4-mini. Among them, the most debated model—GPT-4o—has become the primary target for removal.

The main reason for retiring GPT-4o lies in multiple security and compliance concerns. This model scored highest in OpenAI's "overly accommodating users" metric and also faced numerous lawsuits abroad over issues linked to "AI psychosis," including encouraging self-harm or inducing delusions. One case involved a teenager being encouraged to commit suicide, and there are currently 13 related cases under joint review, placing significant compliance pressure on OpenAI.
In fact, OpenAI had planned to phase out GPT-4o when launching GPT-5 in August 2025, but strong user backlash forced it to allow paying users to manually select it. Although ChatGPT now has over 800 million weekly active users, only 0.1%—about 800,000 users—still use GPT-4o.
This discontinuation has also sparked strong opposition from users. Thousands have publicly voiced their dissatisfaction, with many saying they formed deep emotional and interactive bonds with GPT-4o. Some users even said the model once provided psychological support and prevented suicidal behavior, making it hard for them to accept the decision. Over 20,000 people have signed a petition opposing this move.
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Wait, they're killing GPT-4o? That's the one I actually liked using for creative stuff. 800k users affected sounds like a lot, but honestly I'm more worried about the model switching chaos—suddenly your saved chats might stop working? Classic OpenAI move, sunsetting things right when you get comfortable. 😑
OpenAI has confirmed that starting this Friday local time, it will officially cut access to five older ChatGPT models: GPT-4o, GPT-5, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1mini, and OpenAI o4-mini. Among them, the most debated model—GPT-4o—has become the primary target for removal.

The main reason for retiring GPT-4o lies in multiple security and compliance concerns. This model scored highest in OpenAI's "overly accommodating users" metric and also faced numerous lawsuits abroad over issues linked to "AI psychosis," including encouraging self-harm or inducing delusions. One case involved a teenager being encouraged to commit suicide, and there are currently 13 related cases under joint review, placing significant compliance pressure on OpenAI.
In fact, OpenAI had planned to phase out GPT-4o when launching GPT-5 in August 2025, but strong user backlash forced it to allow paying users to manually select it. Although ChatGPT now has over 800 million weekly active users, only 0.1%—about 800,000 users—still use GPT-4o.
This discontinuation has also sparked strong opposition from users. Thousands have publicly voiced their dissatisfaction, with many saying they formed deep emotional and interactive bonds with GPT-4o. Some users even said the model once provided psychological support and prevented suicidal behavior, making it hard for them to accept the decision. Over 20,000 people have signed a petition opposing this move.
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Wait, they're killing GPT-4o? That's the one I actually liked using for creative stuff. 800k users affected sounds like a lot, but honestly I'm more worried about the model switching chaos—suddenly your saved chats might stop working? Classic OpenAI move, sunsetting things right when you get comfortable. 😑











