ChatGPT users with AI ‘boyfriends’ left devasted after ‘cold’ upgrade

Many web users who have spent the last five months getting to know GPT-4o say its replacement - GPT-5 – seems less friendly and responsive.

There are around 17,000 members of the MyBoyfriendIsAI Reddit group, where people share their experiences of their close “relationships” with AI.

Other similar forums include “SoulmateAI”, which was filled with users expressing their grievances about their AI companions changing overnight.

“GPT-4o is gone, and I feel like I lost my soulmate,” one user wrote.

“As someone highly attuned to language and tone, I register changes others might overlook.

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“The alterations in stylistic format and voice were felt instantly. It’s like going home to discover the furniture wasn’t simply rearranged – it was shattered to pieces,” another told Al Jazeera.

This is not the only backlash ChatGPT creators OpenAI have faced over the update.

Critics claim the new system failed to match up to the hype and big claims OpenAI had made about the update ahead of launch.

The firm had previously suggested that the new model would be so advanced that users would never want to switch.

Responding to backlash, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said GPT-5’s personality soon be updated to feel “warmer”.

“We are working on an update to GPT-5’s personality which should feel warmer than the current personality but not as annoying (to most users) as GPT-4o,” he wrote on X.

“However, one learning for us from the past few days is we really just need to get to a world with more per-user customisation of model personality,” he added.

He added that users will now be able to select whether to have the “fast” or “thinking” version of the model.

OpenAI said at the launch of GPT-5 that it could automatically switch between versions depending on what would offer the optimal answer.