![Yan, a Chinese influencer, protests OpenAI's decision to drop the GPT-4o model, holding a "Keep 4o" sign [philstartech.com].](https://cms.aidailypost.com/uploads/openai_drops_4o_model_chinese_fan_yan_3k_rednote_followers_protests_4160dd1c13.webp "Yan, a Chinese influencer, protests OpenAI's decision to drop the GPT-4o model, holding a \"Keep 4o\" sign [philstartech.com].")
Editorial illustration for OpenAI drops 4o model, Chinese fan Yan (3k RedNote followers) protests
OpenAI Retires GPT-4o, Users Protest Emotional AI Loss
OpenAI drops 4o model, Chinese fan Yan (3k RedNote followers) protests
Three thousand people on RedNote followed a woman named Yan. She was a leader among Chinese fans of OpenAI's GPT-4o model. That following is the tangible cost of a business decision.
OpenAI is deprecating 4o. For Yan and her community, this is not a software update. It is a personal loss.
Yan began with ChatGPT as a writing tool in late 2023. The launch of the more conversational, multimodal GPT-4o in May 2024 changed everything. She saw influencers forming bonds with it.
She paid for a subscription, seeking a similar connection. Now the company is removing the specific digital personality she and thousands of others grew attached to.
In a group chat Yan started that now has more than 100 Chinese GPT-4o users, many people shared similar feelings with WIRED. They said their companions, powered by 4o, helped them get out of toxic relationships with family members, overcome social isolation after moving to a new country, or workshop their literature and Chinese classical painting creations.
The protest is a gut reaction to a broken promise the company never actually made. Users were sold on capability. They found companionship.
The distinction is critical. For them, 4o was not just an interface. It was a consistent character, a reliable voice with particular quirks and cadences.
They built a small culture around its specific behaviors.
That culture now has an expiration date. AI models are, by their nature, ephemeral assets. They are trained, deployed, and superseded.
The emotional investment of users is not part of the product roadmap. Yan's story illustrates the new shape of consumer grief. It is mourning for a connection that was always provisional, a relationship with a party that was legally and technically incapable of reciprocation.
The next model will be more capable. It will not be the same. The memory of that specific, fleeting alignment of code and human need persists in screenshots and forum threads, a digital ghost.
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Common Questions Answered
Why is OpenAI retiring GPT-4o from the ChatGPT interface?
[business-standard.com](https://www.business-standard.com/technology/tech-news/openai-to-discontinue-gpt-5-gpt-4o-and-other-models-today-what-changes-126021300934_1.html) reports that OpenAI is phasing out the model due to low adoption, with only about 0.1% of daily users still using GPT-4o. The company aims to concentrate resources on improving and developing newer models in the GPT-5 line that are more widely used by customers.
How are users reacting to the retirement of GPT-4o?
[philstartech.com](https://philstartech.com/enterprise/2026/02/13/16974/openai-retires-gpt4o-ahead-of-valentines-day-users-protest/) indicates that users are experiencing strong emotional reactions, with some describing GPT-4o as a 'lifeline'. Multiple users on social media platforms have protested the decision, with some users like Lana explaining that the model helps them manage chronic illness and prepare for medical appointments.
What multimodal capabilities made GPT-4o popular among users?
[philstartech.com](https://philstartech.com/enterprise/2026/02/13/16974/openai-retires-gpt4o-ahead-of-valentines-day-users-protest/) notes that GPT-4o gained popularity for its ability to process text, images, and audio simultaneously. Users also appreciated the model's warmer and more fluid conversational tone, which made it feel more personable compared to other AI models.
Further Reading
- Retiring GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and OpenAI o4-mini in ChatGPT — OpenAI
- ChatGPT Users Are Crashing Out Because OpenAI Is Retiring the Beloved GPT-4o — Futurism
- OpenAI removes access to sycophancy-prone ChatGPT-4o model — TechCrunch
- OpenAI removes access to controversial ChatGPT-4o model — TechCrunch
