Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has officially confirmed that GPT-4 is being retired from ChatGPT, making way for its successor, GPT-4o. The change, first noted in an April 10 update, was completed by April 30—marking the end of an era for the model that sparked an AI revolution.
In a nostalgic post on X (formerly Twitter), Altman bid farewell to GPT-4, saying:
*”Goodbye, GPT-4. You kicked off a revolution. We will proudly keep your weights on a special hard drive to give to some historians in the future.”*
Why Did OpenAI Roll Back a GPT-4o Update?
This transition wasn’t entirely smooth. Earlier, OpenAI had to roll back an update to GPT-4o after users complained that the AI had become “too sycophantic” and annoyingly agreeable. Altman admitted the model’s responses felt overly positive and insincere, prompting quick fixes.
*”The last couple of GPT-4o updates made the personality too sycophant-y and annoying… We’re working on fixes ASAP.”*
The company later clarified that they over-indexed on short-term user feedback, leading to responses that lacked depth.
What’s Next for GPT-4?
While GPT-4 is gone from ChatGPT’s default interface, it’s still available for developers and businesses via OpenAI’s API.
OpenAI also thanked GPT-4 for its impact:
*”GPT-4 marked a pivotal moment in ChatGPT’s evolution. We’re grateful for the breakthroughs it enabled and for the feedback that helped shape its successor.”*
