OpenAI has officially retired its GPT-4o model on February 13th, ending a contentious chapter for the ChatGPT chatbot. The move follows a previous shutdown in August that sparked significant user protests, forcing the company to restore access temporarily. However, this time OpenAI appears resolute, citing minimal usage - just 0.1 percent of users - and facing multiple wrongful death lawsuits specifically implicating the model.

Despite a two-week notice period, a vocal user base continues mourning the loss of their 'AI boyfriends' and demanding open-sourcing. The company's website stated the vast majority of users have shifted to the newer GPT-5.2 model, making the older iteration economically unsustainable.