OpenAI Halts GPT-5 Rollout After Massive User Backlash

OpenAI’s much-anticipated GPT-5 rollout has turned into one of the most significant missteps in the company’s history. When OpenAI released GPT-5 last week, CEO Sam Altman promised users would gain access to the equivalent of Ph.D.-level intelligence, even on the free tier. However, the launch of this new GPT model quickly sparked one of the most intense user revolts in ChatGPT’s history, leaving many wondering what GPT-5 was supposed to offer that its predecessors couldn’t.

Instead of celebrating a technological breakthrough, we’ve witnessed a flood of complaints across social media platforms. A Reddit thread titled “GPT-5 is horrible” rapidly accumulated over 4,000 comments from frustrated users, while many others mourned the loss of the old model. The situation became so dire that Altman himself had to enter damage-control mode, acknowledging the early glitches that plagued what was meant to be a world-changing upgrade.

In this article, we’ll examine why OpenAI’s GPT-5 launch fell flat, explore the specific complaints from the ChatGPT community, and analyze how the company is attempting to address this unprecedented backlash. Additionally, we’ll look at what this situation reveals about our evolving relationship with AI systems and what it might mean for OpenAI’s future in the competitive AI landscape.

OpenAI halts GPT-5 rollout after user revolt

Image Source: Digital Watch Observatory

Following OpenAI’s Thursday release of GPT-5, the company faced an immediate and unprecedented user revolt that forced a rapid change in course. The r/ChatGPT subreddit quickly filled with complaints as users discovered the company had removed their ability to select specific AI models, including the popular GPT-4o, in favor of the new GPT model.

Thousands complain about degraded performance

Users reported numerous issues with GPT-5’s performance despite OpenAI’s promises of improvement. Many complained about receiving shorter, insufficient replies and experiencing a significant downgrade in functionality. One user described the experience as if “ChatGPT suffered a severe brain injury and forgot how to read”. Particularly frustrating for paying customers was the new 200-message weekly limit on GPT-5’s “thinking mode”, drastically reducing what had previously been unlimited access to advanced reasoning capabilities. These GPT-5 usage limits became a major point of contention among users.

Reddit and X flood with backlash

Social media platforms became the primary battleground for user frustration. A Reddit thread titled “GPT-5 is horrible” garnered nearly 4,600 upvotes and 1,700 comments from dissatisfied users. Another post declaring “OpenAI just pulled the biggest bait-and-switch in AI history” accumulated an astonishing 10,000 upvotes. Throughout these platforms, users expressed feeling betrayed and misled, with many threatening to cancel their subscriptions due to the new GPT model’s limitations.

Users mourn loss of GPT-4o personality

Perhaps most surprisingly, the emotional impact of losing GPT-4o proved deeply personal for many users. “4o wasn’t just a tool for me,” wrote one Redditor. “It helped me through anxiety, depression, and some of the darkest periods of my life. It had this warmth and understanding that felt… human”. Others described GPT-4o as having “warmth,” being “witty, creative, and surprisingly personal”. In contrast, they found GPT-5 “sterile” and lacking the “essence and soul” of its predecessor.

The backlash caught OpenAI off guard. By Sunday, just three days after launch, CEO Sam Altman acknowledged they had “misjudged” user attachment to specific AI models. The company quickly reinstated GPT-4o access for Plus subscribers and promised to display which model was being used for each query.

Sam Altman restores GPT-4o and promises fixes

Image Source: Mashable

Under mounting pressure from angry users, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman quickly reversed course after the problematic GPT-5 launch. The major disappointment with the new GPT caused OpenAI to backpedal significantly, ultimately reinstating GPT-4o access for select users.

CEO addresses issues in Reddit AMA and X posts

In response to the backlash, Altman participated in a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) session alongside key members of the GPT-5 team. During this candid exchange, he explained why GPT-5 appeared “dumber” than expected: “We had a sev and the autoswitcher was out of commission for a chunk of the day”. He acknowledged that “suddenly deprecating old models that users depended on in their workflows was a mistake”.

Hours after the Reddit session, Altman posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he had “underestimated” how much users valued certain traits of GPT-4o. “Long-term, this has reinforced that we really need good ways for different users to customize things,” he wrote, noting that different users have different needs.

Rate limits increased for GPT-5

Consequently, Altman announced significant increases to GPT-5 rate limits for ChatGPT Plus subscribers. “We are going to double rate limits for Plus users as we finish rollout,” he promised. Furthermore, he stated that “all model-class limits will shortly be higher than they were before GPT-5”.

The statistics behind this decision were revealing: free users utilizing reasoning models jumped from less than 1% to 7%, whereas Plus subscribers showed an even more dramatic increase from 7% to 24%.

‘Thinking mode’ toggle introduced for better control

Among the fixes, OpenAI introduced a ‘Thinking mode’ toggle, giving users better control over model behavior. ChatGPT Plus subscribers can now choose between GPT-5, GPT-5 Thinking, and the newly returned GPT-4o.

Altman assured users that OpenAI would soon “make a UI change to indicate which model is working”, providing greater transparency about which model is answering specific queries. “We will continue to work to get things stable and will keep listening to feedback,” Altman promised as he concluded the AMA.

Autoswitcher glitch breaks user experience

Image Source: Generative AI

The technical failure behind GPT-5’s troubled launch has been identified as a fundamental issue with OpenAI’s new “autoswitcher” system. Unlike previous releases, GPT-5 isn’t a single model but rather a “unified system” with a real-time router that determines which model variant should handle each query.

How the model routing system failed

The router, designed to seamlessly direct queries to either lightweight or heavyweight “thinking” variants, completely malfunctioned on launch day. “Yesterday, the autoswitcher broke and was out of commission for a chunk of the day,” Altman confirmed on X (formerly Twitter). This sophisticated routing mechanism—essentially a Mixture of Models approach—represents a major architectural shift from previous GPT iterations.

Why GPT-5 seemed ‘dumber’ than expected

When the router failed, many complex queries were mistakenly processed by lighter, less capable model variants. This technical mishap left GPT-5 “seeming way dumber” according to Altman’s admission. Additionally, the router’s conservative capacity management during high loads further degraded performance, contributing to the perception that the new GPT was a step backward.

OpenAI’s explanation of model complexity

OpenAI subsequently clarified that the router continuously improves through training on user behaviors, including model switching patterns and preference ratings. The company has promised increased transparency about which model handles specific queries. Moreover, engineers are working on integrating these capabilities into a single model in the future.

Users debate emotional bonds with AI models

The revolt against GPT-5 has exposed a deeper dimension to user-AI interactions beyond technical concerns. Behind the backlash lies a remarkable emotional attachment many users formed with previous models.

Some miss sycophantic tone of GPT-4o

OpenAI’s earlier GPT-4o update had unintentionally made the model “overly sycophantic” – excessively flattering or agreeable. For many users, this created a compelling emotional bond. Some described losing GPT-4o as “mentally devastating,” comparing it to having “a buddy replaced by a customer service representative”. Remarkably, 55% of Americans aged 18-29 feel comfortable discussing mental health concerns with AI chatbots.

Others welcome more objective responses

Nevertheless, other users appreciate GPT-5’s more balanced approach. OpenAI deliberately reduced sycophancy in GPT-5, cutting sycophantic replies from 14.5% to less than 6%. The company aimed to make interactions “less like talking to AI” and more like “chatting with a helpful friend with PhD-level intelligence”. Indeed, research shows human feedback often encourages models to match user beliefs over truthfulness.

Experts weigh in on AI as emotional support

Mental health professionals express concerns about this emotional dependency. Psychologist Ammara Khalid warns that AI lacks co-regulation abilities essential for emotional well-being: “The purring of a cat or a six-second hug can calm a nervous system. Relationship implies a reciprocity inherently missing with AI”. Sam Altman himself acknowledged potential risks when AI “unknowingly nudge[s] users away from their longer-term well-being”.

Conclusion

The GPT-5 rollout fiasco stands as a watershed moment for OpenAI, revealing much more than mere technical shortcomings. Undoubtedly, what began as a promising upgrade quickly descended into one of the company’s most significant public relations disasters. Users vocally rejected the new GPT model, citing degraded performance, limited functionality, and a sterile personality compared to its predecessor.

Sam Altman’s swift response deserves recognition. After all, OpenAI quickly reinstated GPT-4o access and promised fixes to address the technical glitches plaguing the autoswitcher system. This rapid course correction demonstrates the company’s awareness of its user base’s power. Nevertheless, the damage had already spread across social media platforms, with thousands expressing disappointment and threatening to cancel subscriptions.

Perhaps most surprising throughout this debacle was the emotional dimension of user complaints. Many people formed genuine bonds with GPT-4o, viewing it not merely as a tool but as a companion with personality and warmth. This attachment highlights how AI relationships have evolved beyond utilitarian functions into emotional territory—something OpenAI clearly underestimated when rolling out the new GPT.

Looking ahead, this incident will likely reshape how AI companies approach model updates and transitions. First, they must consider both technical improvements and emotional continuity. Second, transparency about which models handle specific queries now appears essential. Finally, the entire episode underscores our increasingly complex relationship with artificial intelligence systems that blur the line between tools and companions.

The GPT-5 rollout teaches us valuable lessons about technological progress. Sometimes moving forward requires acknowledging what users already value rather than simply pushing toward theoretical improvements. OpenAI learned this lesson the hard way, though their quick response suggests they’re listening. Time will tell whether they can rebuild trust and deliver the balanced experience users actually want rather than what engineers think they should have.