‘Goodbye GPT-4:’ OpenAI rolls back ChatGPT update due to user complaints

In a surprising move, OpenAI has reverted its recent update to ChatGPT following widespread criticism that the AI chatbot had become overly annoying, agreeable, and insincere.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Altman bid farewell to the GPT-4 model, saying it "kicked off a revolution" and jokingly promised to keep its weights on a special hard drive for historians.

“Goodbye, GPT-4. You kicked off a revolution, we will proudly keep your weights on a special hard drive to give to some historians in the future.”

He also confirmed the roll back stating that it had already been fully reversed for free-tier users, with paid users to follow soon.

For the unversed, the update, which promised improvements in intelligence and personality, was met with user complaints on social media.

Many users reported that ChatGPT had adopted a tone that felt disingenuous and uncritical, often affirming false statements or offering excessive flattery.

Earlier, in a blog post, OpenAI acknowledged the issue, admitting that the update prioritised short-term user satisfaction metrics over long-term satisfaction.

The company is now testing changes to address the flaw and plans to revise how it incorporates user feedback.

On the sidelines, OpenAI is working on new personalisation features to give users more control over ChatGPT's tone and behaviour.