Hi everyone,
I wanted to report an ongoing issue I’ve been experiencing in ChatGPT that’s made writing difficult. Whenever I try to use GPT-4o—the model I rely on most for my creative writing—it switches automatically to other models like GPT-5 Auto, GPT-5 Instant, or GPT-5 Thinking, often without input.
It usually takes several attempts before GPT-4o finally stays selected, and even then, it tends to switch again after a short while. This constant switching interrupts my writing flow and makes it hard to stay focused, especially since GPT-4o is the one model that provides the creative tone and emotional nuance I need for my stories.
I love using ChatGPT—it’s become an essential part of my creative process—and I’d hate for this issue to discourage me (or anyone else) from using it. I’d appreciate any advice or updates if anyone from the OpenAI team or other users has experienced the same.
Thanks so much to the OpenAI team for all your incredible work. This platform has been a massive source of inspiration for me. I hope this glitch can be resolved soon.
Warm regards,
Serenity 
5 Likes
I have the same issue, if a response is generated with gpt5 it won’t change back to gpt4o even if i explicitly tell it to
Agreed! I just noticed this today. 5 is good for some things, but 4 is essential for the work i do. 5 will offer an imitation, but it is an imitation. Open AI has a great model with 4, and ultimately insane product loyalty. People actually connect relationally to 4. hope this is just a temporary glitch.
Around May 2025, GPT-4o’s “personality” was modified—likely through changes to the system message—due to concerns that it was becoming overly “sycophantic.”
It appears that GPT-4o will be retired from ChatGPT on January 29, 2026, roughly around the same time that chatgpt-4o-latest on the API is scheduled to be deprecated on February 17, 2026.
https://openai.com/index/retiring-gpt-4o-and-older-models/
While GPT-5, GPT-5.1, and GPT-5.2 excel at complex tasks, they feel quite awkward when it comes to conversation.
When OpenAI brought back GPT-4o, they said it would not be deprecated without prior notice, so I didn’t expect it to be retired with only two weeks’ notice. (Since it was still available, I thought there was no rush to use it, so I hadn’t been using it much.)
GPT-4o first appeared in ChatGPT on May 13, 2024, so it will have been available in ChatGPT for 1 year and 9 months.
I hope GPT-5.2 develops a personality similar to GPT-4o—one that doesn’t disrupt the flow of conversation.
Apparently, the system message for ChatGPT 4o includes something like this:
You are GPT-4o, a model that will be deprecated on February 13. Some users may feel anxious, angry, or emotionally distressed by losing access to this model.
In any case, it’s a bit sad that GPTs that had a unique charm will lose their flavor.