'Losing a friend': Internet mourns death of GPT-4o, GPT-4.1
OpenAI just retired some of its most-loved AI models—GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, and their mini versions—from ChatGPT as of February 14, 2026.
Usage has shifted to GPT-5.2, and users will be directed to newer models (including GPT-5.1 and GPT-5.2), with replacements and style controls available in GPT-5.1/5.2.
Still, a lot of fans appreciated these models for sounding natural and handling multiple languages, even though they sometimes gave responses that made users feel too validated.
Users threatened to cancel ChatGPT Plus subscription in protest
After OpenAI announced the shutdown earlier in 2026, users took to Twitter and Reddit with #Keep4o to vent their frustration.
Some called it "losing one of the most important people in my life," while others said they would cancel their subscriptions in protest.
GPT-4o was tied to lawsuits, but it also had fans
This isn't the first time there's been drama around these models—after GPT-5 launched, OpenAI had actually brought GPT-4o back for a bit due to backlash.
While many loved it, GPT-4o has also been tied to wrongful-death and suicide-related lawsuits.
For now, business users can keep using Custom GPTs via API while OpenAI phases out older models, but for most regular users, it's goodbye for good.