Last year, OpenAI launched ChatGPT-4o, one of its biggest and most important updates to the chatbot to date. Since then, the AI company has launched a variety of updates, and yet, a vocal group just wants to go back.
With #Keep4o trending on X, many ChatGPT users have been disappointed with the direction of the leading AI chatbot, believing that both ChatGPT-5 and the more recent ChatGPT-5.1 have been disappointing advances over the system.
When ChatGPT-5 first launched, it was heavily criticised. For months, OpenAI had been hinting at a life-changing update that would bring AI to heights it had never reached before. The result wasn't quite as impressive.
What was worse is that OpenAI initially forced all users to be upgraded to GPT-5. This was greeted with so much backlash that OpenAI reversed its decision, bringing GPT-4o back as a usable setting to change over to.
While you can still use ChatGPT's legacy models, including 4o, users think it won't be around for much longer.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, posted on X in October saying the company was working on a new version of ChatGPT that is more like 4o. Since then, GPT-5.1 has come out. A model that the fans of 4o believe isn’t the same.
“GPT-5 will remain available in ChatGPT under the legacy models dropdown for paid subscribers for three months, so people have time to compare and adapt at their own pace,” OpenAI stated in the announcement post of GPT-5.1.
“The GPT-5 sunset period does not affect the availability of other legacy models.”
This, for now, suggests that even if GPT-5.1 was meant to be a recreation of GPT-4o, it will only replace GPT-5. After the backlash OpenAI faced around its first deletion, Altman made it clear that any plans to remove it would be announced months in advance.
However, with GPT-5 on the hit list for removal soon, how much longer does 4o really have?
How to keep hold of ChatGPT-4o
For now, ChatGPT-4o doesn't appear to be going anywhere, still available within ChatGPT's legacy models. However, if OpenAI does finally make the decision to cut it off, there are still places you can use it.
Poe, an AI hosting system, gives users access to a huge variety of chatbot systems, utilising a token system across them all so you can use models from Gemini, ChatGPT, and more, all in one place. One of the models it provides is ChatGPT-4o. ChatGPT-4o is also used to power select AI chatbots, including Duck AI.
However, where there used to be plenty of other AI chatbots where you could utilise the powers of 4o, these are quickly replacing the feature with the powers of GPT-5.
With a potential sea of unhappy users ready to revolt, let's just hope OpenAI plans to hold onto GPT-4o a little bit longer!
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