'Suddenly deprecating old models' users depended on a 'mistake,' admits OpenAI's Altman

OpenAI has brought back GPT-4o after a weekend of user protests - mostly about removal of model choice - following the rollout of GPT-5.

GPT-5 made its debut at the end of last week, with OpenAI making much of its improvements and claiming the update would cut down on hallucinations. Rather than one model, GPT-5 is a collection of models to which prompts would be routed based on factors including intent and complexity.

Simple? Not quite. Because GPT-5 could take care of the pesky decision over which model to use, OpenAI removed the menu that allowed users to choose older models, such as GPT-4o. The result was an outpouring of grief from users, many of whom had come to depend on the older models in their workflows. Each model has its strengths and weaknesses, which customers have become accustomed to.

Switching to one model "to rule them all" resulted in a cacophony ...