Some changes arrive as an improvement and end up breaking what was already working. It happened when Microsoft eliminated the classic Windows 8 start menu, generating rejection in part of its users. Also when Instagram replaced its classic grid with vertical miniatures, altering profiles designed to the millimeter.
GPT-5 adds to that list. It is not a debate about whether it is better or worse than the above, but about how it has arrived sweeping with dynamics that many had perfectly refined. The community’s response was swift. In Reddit, people went from the surprise to the open complaint in a matter of hours.
Reddit complaints mark the GPT-5 premiere
A user described his situation: “For months I was in perfect tune by changing between O3, O3-Pro, 4.5 and 4th, depending on the task. I knew exactly what each model could offer. Now they have gone and it is my turn to readjust myself to GPT-5“Another, used by GPT-4O, was more direct:” They just removed the best model so far to write fiction. “
The messages are repeated: “RIP GPT-4O”, “Bring back GPT-4O”. A choral regret that marks the tone of this weekend. What has changed for so many users to feel? The answer is in the way Openai reordered chatgpt.
The arrival of GPT-5 is not a simple addition: it supposes The withdrawal of eight models In a single movement. OpenAI eliminates GPT-4O, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.5, GPT-4.1-mini, O4-MINI, O4-MIN-HIGH, O3 and O3-PRO, redirecting all the activity towards GPT-5 and its variants.
It should be noted that GPT-4O has not completely disappeared. Openai keeps it operational in Chatgpt’s voice mode and in the integration of Apple Intelligence, although outside the model selector and with a much more limited use than before.
Old chatgpt model selector
The migrations were automatic. If a conversation was in GPT-4O, 4.1, 4.5 or its mini versions, it now opens in GPT-5. Those used O3 pass to GPT-5 Thinking, and those in O3-PRO move to GPT-5 Thinking Pro.
With the noise already on top, Sam Altman went out to explain the situation. He acknowledged that the launch had been “more rugged than expected”And he explained that, during part of the previous day, a failure in the autoswitcher He prevented GPT-5 from alternating between fast responses and GPT-5 Thinking when the task required it, which caused it to seem less capable of the usual.
Among the immediate measures, he announced adjustments in the way in which the system decides when to activate its way of deep reasoning and greater transparency so that the user knows which model is responding at all times. He also advanced a change in the interface to manually activate GPT-5 Thinking and double the use limits for Plus plans once the deployment ends.
“We are studying allow PLUS users to continue using 4th. We want to collect more data on the commitments/costs of that decision”
In addition, he opened the door to a possible return of GPT-4o for PLUS users. Beyond the controversy, Openai insists that GPT-5 represents an important leap for Chatgpt.
For Openai, GPT-5 is not just a new model: it is the centerpiece of a simplified chatgpt. Replace the list of models with a system capable of deciding for yourself when to give a quick response and when to activate your deep reasoning mode, GPT-5 Thinking.
The change that GPT-5 brought responds to an idea that Sam Altman had been defending time: simplify chatgpt. The model selector, with names and versions that for many were cryptic, was a recurring complaint among users. It was not always clear if a model was fastermore precise or more creative.
GPT-5 intends to end that uncertainty. A single system automatically decides when to respond instantly and when to activate your deep reasoning. However, this order comes to the cost of limiting control to those who used the selector as a strategic tool.
The community pressure has already caused an official response and some adjustments in record time. It remains to see if OpenAi will go further and will allow GPT-4O to return, at least for part of the users. Meanwhile, the debate is still open.
Images | OpenAI | WorldOfSoftware screen capture
In WorldOfSoftware | Good news, you don’t have to choose model using GPT-5. Bad news, it is GPT-5 who chooses it without notifying you
