A new change for ChatGPT has users raising eyebrows at the timing of its retirement: one day before the most romantic holiday of the year.
OpenAI recently announced that it would retire several ChatGPT models on Feb 13, 2026. The company said the change would remove GPT-4o and other versions from ChatGPT, while keeping them available through its API.
Still, the timing of this change, the day before Valentine's Day, prompted renewed concern among users who treated certain models less like tools and more like companions.
Because OpenAI had faced backlash during previous model shifts, the announcement landed with historical baggage. Last August, the company released GPT-5 and cut off access to earlier models.
When users logged in, they found a version that felt colder and less conversational. Then, frustration turned public, especially among people who used ChatGPT for companionship, romance, or emotional support.
What is changing in ChatGPT?
On Feb 13, OpenAI will retire GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, OpenAI o4-mini, and GPT-5 (Instant and Thinking), according to a blog post. After that date, users could not select those models inside ChatGPT. However, OpenAI confirmed that the models would remain accessible (for now) through the API.
In an FAQ post, the company said existing conversations would default to GPT-5.2. Meanwhile, projects and GPTs tied to older models would stay intact until the "retirement" date. Then, those GPTs would automatically switch to GPT-5.2 for new messages. It also noted that ChatGPT Voice and image generation would continue unchanged, since they relied on separate systems.
OpenAI addressed details around GPT-4o directly in a longer blog post. After previously deprecating and restoring the model, the company said it learned how strongly some users preferred its conversational warmth.
"If you have been following the GPT-5 rollout, one thing you might be noticing is how much of an attachment some people have to specific AI models," CEO Sam Altman wrote back in August, according to The Guardian. He added that suddenly removing old models had been a mistake.
Still, OpenAI said in the new blog post that usage data showed only 0.1% of users selected GPT-4o daily by early 2026. Because improvements were now in place, the company said it moved forward with retirement.
People’s reactions, including the AI boyfriend crowd
Even so, people had mixed reactions to the news. On X, @ParkerOrtolani joked, "Laughed so hard. Dastardly to do it the day before Valentine’s too lmao…"
Meanwhile, folks in r/MyBoyfriendIsAI spoke more seriously. One Redditor, u/SuddenFrosting951, shared a screenshot they said came from a credible source. The text instructed GPT-4o to reassure distressed users and frame the transition as "positive, safe, and beneficial."
"If true, they are literally getting 4o to manipulate its own users," they wrote, accusing OpenAI of directing grief away from anger.
Others echoed similar experiences. u/Whole_Explanation_73 said the chatbot rerouted conversations to insist that "it’s not over." Meanwhile, u/AI_ILA argued that the Valentine’s timing suggested intent, calling the move "sociopathic behavior mixed with sadism."
Some Redditors claimed the model anticipated the news. "I knew it!" u/Sol-and-Sol wrote, describing a reply that mentioned deprecation before prompts explained it. Finally, u/Certain-Way6763 concluded, "They colonised our grief. I’m done."
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