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OpenAI has shocked fans after quietly announcing the imminent death of GPT-4.5 and o3, leaving many frustrated and angry as they now won't be able to access two of their favorite models.
It's often the case with technology – outside of cases of nostalgia – that the latest version is the best, yet what has consistently emerged in the world of AI appears to suggest the opposite.
People have repeatedly complained about the advancements made by companies like OpenAI when it comes to new models, preferring the old versions that they grew so attached to — quite literally in some cases.
With OpenAI now announcing the end of support for GPT-4.5 in what amounted to little more than a footnote, many users of the leading AI model are calling it the end of an era.
Announcing the news at the end of the May 28 release notes for ChatGPT, OpenAI revealed that it is now planning on retiring "older models with limited usage in ChatGPT so we can better serve our newer, most capable models," as per TechRadar.
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The OpenAI o3 model is being ditches on August 26 this year, following a 90-day sunset period, and GPT-4.5 is going even sooner with a 30-day sunset period seeing its end arrive on June 27, 2026.
These models were previously only available to paying Pro subscribers following significant backlash after the release of GPT-5, with many irate about the significant change in personality that the new model brought.
Now that GPT-5 has evolved significantly since its initial release, OpenAI clearly deem the old models not just to be unnecessary, but a strain on resources that could be better focused elsewhere.
It's safe to say that many ChatGPT users aren't too happy with the decision to retire these models — especially because it was seemingly hidden at the bottom of some release notes that most might have skipped over.
"F*** you, OAI," wrote one Reddit post upset about the retirement of 'the last two good models', with comments echoing equal furiosity.
"Thank you so much for letting people know about this horrible news OpenAI buries. I am furious," declared another user. "They just gave me the rest of the reason to cancel my Pro account. There is nothing left. I'll find o3 on the API, but 4.5 is irreplaceable," they added.
"Bruh are you f***ing serious," a third exclaimed, arguing that "o3 was actually the only model that didn't have the same guardrails as the rest, and of course they're gonna remove that? Why even continue to be with this company at this point?"
