Feed: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
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Title: OpenAI brings GPT-4o back online after users melt down over the new
model

Date: Sat, 09 Aug 2025 17:25:23 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-brings-gpt...

Following the rollout of OpenAI's latest GPT-5 model earlier this week, a
certain user base was adamantly calling for the return of the previous GPT-4o
model. Outspoken users complained about the writing quality of the updated
model, with some even going so far as to grieve the loss of GPT-4o, which
some said they considered a friend and confidant.

In the latest OpenAI update that labels GPT-5 as the "smartest, fastest, most
useful model yet," the company removed the option to choose which model to
use and defaults to GPT-5 instead. With the new model, GPT-5 uses a "real-
time router" that switches between a more efficient model for basic questions
and a deeper reasoning alternative for more complex demands.

The initial rollout ran into some issues that made GPT-5 seem "way dumber,"
according to OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman, who also opened up a Reddit AMA to
offer more insight into the changes. On Reddit, Altman responded to a
question by saying GPT-5's writing quality is better than previous models,
but asked users if this felt true. In response, several Redditors voiced
their opinion that the GPT-5 felt "sterile" and "much worse" and answered
"briefly and dryly." In response to the initial outcry, Altman posted on X
that OpenAI would let Plus subscribers choose between using GPT-5 or GPT-4o.

"We for sure underestimated how much some of the things that people like in
GPT-4o matter to them, even if GPT-5 performs better in most ways," Altman
said on X.

The return of GPT-4o was celebrated, but there's still no guarantee that
OpenAI will keep its older model around indefinitely. In the same X post,
Altman said that OpenAI "will watch usage as we think about how long to offer
legacy models for." In the meantime, OpenAI is focusing on finishing the GPT-
5 rollout and making changes that will "make it warmer." However, for users
who have grown attached to GPT-4o as more than just an AI chatbot, this could
be the beginning of the end.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-brings-gpt...
the-new-model-172523159.html?src=rss

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