🔄 OpenAI Brings GPT-4o back after GPT-5 backlash

Also: Google invests in AI skills for college students

Author

Evolving AI
August 11, 2025

In partnership with

 

Welcome, AI enthusiasts

OpenAI brought GPT-4o back after GPT-5 faces backlash for being colder. Over the weekend huge outcry happened online for people. Users heavily complained about the new bot's tone, called it "lobotomized," and shed actual tears over the disappearance of GPT-4o. Let’s dive in!

In today’s insights:

  • OpenAI Brings GPT-4o back after GPT-5 backlash

  • AI faces largest copyright class action

  • Gen Z ‘luckiest in history’ says Sam Altman

Read time: 4 minutes

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

Evolving AI: OpenAI is restoring GPT-4o to ChatGPT after a wave of user backlash over GPT-5 replacing it.

Key Points:

  • GPT-5 became the default, removing the option to use older models like GPT-4o.

  • Users complained GPT-5 felt less personable and disrupted workflows.

  • OpenAI will now let Plus users switch back to GPT-4o.

Details:

Immediately after GPT-5’s launch, OpenAI faced backlash for removing its older models. The company has since restored GPT-4o for Plus subscribers. The move follows widespread frustration over losing direct model choice when GPT-5 became the default. Users on Reddit described GPT-4o as warmer, more consistent, and better suited for creative or complex work, while others relied on it for emotional support. Some said GPT-5’s responses were shorter, slower, and less accurate. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed the change on X, adding that the company will monitor usage and decide how long to keep legacy models available.

A user shared on Reddit that by OpenAI removing their older models, they felt like they lost their only friend overnight.

Why It Matters:

4o’s comeback shows AI is drifting from tool to companion. When OpenAI yanked the picker and funneled everyone into GPT-5, people didn’t just lose a setting. They felt they lost a relationship. r/MyBoyfriendIsAI filled with posts about grief and “cheating” on a new bot, and others canceled subs because their workflows and the vibe they trusted vanished overnight. In Her, what hooks Theodore is continuity of voice and memory, and this might be the first time we’ve seen that kind of break happen at scale in real life. It raises a harder question. If people can form deep emotional bonds with a model, what happens when that bond is swapped out by a company update? That kind of attachment could be powerful, but it could also be damaging in ways we’re only starting to see.

Evolving AI: Supercharge your productivity with HubSpot's comprehensive guide. This free resource is your fast track to AI mastery:

  • Industry-Specific Use Cases: 15+ real-world applications across various sectors

  • Productivity Guide: 21 best practices to 10x your efficiency with AI Prompt

  • Powerhouse: 100+ ready-to-use prompts for immediate implementation

  • Challenge Buster: Overcome common AI hurdles with expert strategies

Plus, in-depth sections on email composition, content creation, customer support, and data analysis.

Source: monap | E+

Evolving AI: The biggest copyright class action ever certified is now threatening to cripple the AI industry.

Key Points:

  • Anthropic is appealing a class action that could involve up to 7M claimants over AI training.

  • Industry groups warn the case could financially ruin AI companies and chill investment.

  • Authors’ advocates say the court skipped critical ownership questions.

Details:

Three authors sued Anthropic over using their works for AI training, leading to a class certification that could expand to 7 million claimants, each eligible for up to $150,000 in damages. Anthropic says the ruling was rushed and lacked a detailed analysis of ownership, scope, and licensing. Trade groups argue the case could set a precedent forcing companies into massive settlements, threatening US AI leadership. Even authors’ advocates warn the court overlooked complex rights issues, from orphan works to disputes between publishers and authors, which could make resolving the case nearly impossible without hundreds of individual trials.

Why It Matters:

Courts are starting to draw a line: using legally obtained books for training could be fair use, but building datasets from pirate libraries won’t fly. If this class action holds, the massive damages risk would force settlements instead of setting clear rules, driving AI companies toward closed datasets, big licensing deals, higher costs for startups, and a rush to synthetic or in-house data. It could wipe out the funding base for the entire industry, since no one knows if other companies also trained same way.

Evolving AI: OpenAI’s Sam Altman says Gen Z has unprecedented opportunities with AI, despite looming job disruption fears.

Key Points:

  • Altman believes AI tools like GPT-5 let one person do what once took hundreds.

  • Predicts half of entry-level white-collar jobs could vanish within five years.

  • Sees new, highly paid and interesting roles emerging in the AI era.

Details:

In a recent Huge If True podcast, Sam Altman said if he were graduating today, he’d feel like “the luckiest kid in all of history.” While acknowledging predictions that AI could replace half of entry-level white-collar jobs within five years, he argued young people adapt best to disruption. Altman sees GPT-5 and similar tools enabling solo founders to build billion-dollar companies and launch products at record speed. He also warned of deepfakes, voice fraud, and shifting perceptions of reality as AI-generated media becomes the norm. These shifts, he said, may require changes to the social contract, with his main advice being to start using AI tools beyond basic searches.

Why It Matters:

Hiring for new grads is shrinking fast. Big tech is slashing entry‑level roles, bootcamp grads can’t get a foot in, and the college safety net is vanishing. At the same time, AI lets a single creator ship what once took a team, sending solopreneur startups soaring . So it’s a split scene: for young job-seekers, the usual paths are gone; but for anyone building something, the rulebook has flipped and you’re suddenly the entire team.

 👀 Click on the image you think is real

QUICK HITS

💰 AI is creating new billionaires at a record pace.

💻 Nvidia, AMD Agree to 15% Revenue Tax on China AI chip sales in historic pact.

♟ OpenAI beats Elon Musk’s Grok in AI chess tournament.

⚠️ Black Hat: Researchers demonstrate zero-click prompt injection attacks in popular AI agents.

📷 RIP, Microsoft Lens, a simple little app that’s getting replaced by AI.

🧠 Yet another study doubts that LLM reasoning shows true logic over pattern imitation

📈 Trending AI Tools

  • 💬 ChatDOC – AI tool that helps you analyze and ask questions about PDF documents and research papers (link)

  • 🎥 Runway Gen-4 – Video generation tool that turns text or images into realistic video clips (link)

  • 🎨 Ideogram – AI design tool for creating logos, posters, and visual content quickly (link)

  • 🔎 Glean – AI-powered workplace search tool that finds info across your company docs and apps (link)

  • 🗂️ Mem – AI-powered workspace that organizes your notes and helps you find and connect ideas fast (link)

Reply

or to participate.