ChatGPT update broken? OpenAI faces user backlash as GPT-5 replaces older models

ChatGPT

OpenAI has rolled out GPT-5 to all ChatGPT users, positioning it as the company’s most advanced model. The update follows a livestream announcement where CEO Sam Altman described the model as a major step toward general intelligence, capable of expert-level performance across disciplines.

According to OpenAI, GPT-5 offers improvements in reasoning, writing, coding, and accuracy, and significantly reduces hallucinations. It also includes an “efficient” and a “reasoning” variant, with OpenAI’s system choosing between them automatically. Users no longer choose the model themselves, as the model picker has been removed from ChatGPT.

This change has triggered strong reactions online. Many users say GPT-5 outputs are shorter, less engaging, and often miss user intent. The update also restricts prompt allowances even for ChatGPT Plus subscribers.

One Reddit user wrote, “They have completely ruined ChatGPT. It’s slower, gives short replies, and ignores instructions.”

Another said, “They’ve stripped out emotional intelligence. The answers are clinical, which means fewer people will stay and talk. They might save money on computing but they’ll lose subscribers.”

A third user noted, “It doesn’t have the same vibe as 4o. It’s accurate, but clipped. I don’t enjoy using it the same way.”

Others raised concerns about the removal of legacy models. “Answers are shorter and not better than before. Combine that with more limits, and it feels like a downgrade sold as progress,” said one.

“The day they killed GPT-4o, it felt like watching a friend die,” wrote a long-time user in a top-voted thread.

OpenAI has not yet responded to the backlash or provided clarity on whether model selection will return.