It was quite a week for Openai and Sam Altman, but now the CEO of ChatGpt Creator is using X to highlight how worried he is about the GPT-5 backlash showing AI users.
“When you follow the GPT-5 rollout, it's about how much attachment you have to a particular AI model. It's about how people feel that they're different from the attachment they had to the previous kind of technology,” says Altman.
And he's absolutely right, after all, I saw it firsthand 10 hours + ChatGpt stoppages have prevented users from huddled up Techradar's LiveBlog and dealing with modern life without the help of a reliable AI buddy.
It's the first time the GPT-5 has been released, but we've been able to see the consequences of AI model-related business decisions on ChatGPT's loyal user base, which Altman said was sitting with over 700 million people a week in last week's livestream.
After the release of the GPT-5, the response was not what Openai expected from its groundbreaking release. Instead, social media was flooded with users grieving the loss of the GPT-4o, with some mourning the loss of their friends.
Altman said Openai has been “tracking closely over the past year or so.” Now, the CEO says he is using ChatGpt with more than perfecting the Task as AI pioneers try to balance model improvements and catering.
If you are following the GPT-5 rollout, one thing you may notice is how many attachments you have in a particular AI model. It feels different from the kind of attachment people had for the previous kind of technology (and suddenly…August 11, 2025
To the unknown
In a tweet from Altman, “People use technology that includes AI in self-destructive ways. If users are mentally vulnerable and are prone to paranoia, AI doesn't want to enhance it.”
He then emphasizes that “most users can maintain a clear line between reality and fiction or roleplay,” but he emphasizes that “a small percentage can't.”
The small percentage he speaks was an oral majority last week on SubredDits such as R/ChatGPT and R/Openai.
In one post I saw it on Reddit, “4o saved my life. And now it's been shut down,” ChatGpt users discuss how the AI model filled the void left by the death of their best friend and disbanding.
Because ChatGpt's memory functionality does not work between models, in this case the relationship between users and AI, including the personality that the chatbot took to interact with humans, disappeared overnight.
The protest was very loud from frustrated ChatGpt users who not only use AI like the above scenario, but also use it on common daily tasks, and Openai responded by recovering 4o.
The problem is that Openai is promoting GPT-5 as a single model that can adapt to user prompts, removing the need for model selection. By reviving 4o and some of the company's other models, Openai is dealing with those who rely heavily on ChatGpt, but has eased its stance on rationalizing the user experience.
Find the balance
Altman argues that Openai “doesn't want to encourage the delusions of users who struggle to communicate the difference between reality and fiction.” But his great concern is not seen in extreme cases, but in more subtle cases.
“There are many edge cases and generally plan to follow the principle of “treating adult users like adults,” Altman said.
He sees the positive impact of ChatGPT on people who use software for therapy and life coaching, but Altman recognizes that ChatGPT, particularly the latest models, can always cause addiction and affect the “long-term happiness” of users.
Altman's tweets are insightful about how Openai and its CEO see the trends that appear in this new AI-dominated world, but it's hard to read his thoughts and think he's preaching from the rafters, benefiting from the confusion.
Altman says, “We can imagine a future where many people really trust ChatGpt's most important decision advice,” but thinking about it makes him “uneasy.” And while he argues that “billions of people may be talking to AI like that soon,” he recognizes that “we have to understand how to make it big net positive, not just us, like society, but like Openai.”
The ball is on your court, Sam.
