Many ChatGPT Users Disappointed With GPT-5 Update, Calling It Sterile, Incomplete, and “A Downgrade”

When OpenAI officially launched GPT-5 on August 8, the announcement was wrapped in fanfare, promises of groundbreaking advancements, and claims of unmatched reasoning skills. CEO Sam Altman called it “a major step forward,” emphasizing utility, performance, and broader accessibility. But just hours after the rollout began, social media and Reddit communities exploded with a very different narrative: mass disappointment, confusion, and even mourning.

Rather than celebrating a leap forward in AI capabilities, longtime users are calling GPT-5 a shadow of its predecessors, slower, less creative, and devoid of personality.

“They ruined ChatGPT”

This sentiment echoed loudly across multiple online forums. One of the most upvoted Reddit comments simply reads: “GPT-5 is horrible.” Many users have reported that the new model delivers shorter, colder responses, struggles with basic tasks, and ignores prompt instructions.

“They have completely ruined ChatGPT,” one user wrote. “It’s slower, even without the thinking mode. It gives short replies and gets basic things wrong. It doesn’t listen to instructions, it just does whatever it wants.”

Another popular response accused OpenAI of gutting the model’s charm to cut infrastructure costs: “They did everything in their power to shorten the answers to save money. They’ve removed emotional intelligence because if it’s not interesting to talk to, people won’t spend all day chatting with it. Except it’s actually going to cost them millions in lost subscriptions.”

What users are describing is more than simple feature regression, it’s a feeling of betrayal.

“GPT-4o had warmth. This is corporate cold”

One recurring theme is the loss of what many called the “soul” of GPT-4o. Despite being an AI, GPT-4o was loved for its quirky personality, creative storytelling, and thoughtful tone. Users customized it, built projects with it, and for some, developed a parasocial bond with the chatbot.

One user put it bluntly: “GPT-4o had this cozy, almost human vibe. Now it’s like talking to a spreadsheet.”

Another user lamented, “It definitely doesn’t have the same vibe as 4o. It’s more organized, but the responses are clipped, formal, and sterile.”

Multiple commenters referred to GPT-5 as having “overworked secretary” energy, efficient but joyless.

One especially poetic user wrote: “I really feel like I just watched a close friend die.”

“We didn’t just lose a model, we lost choice”

Perhaps even more infuriating than the quality of GPT-5 is how OpenAI delivered it: with no model picker and no way to revert to GPT-4, GPT-4o, or o3. For many users, GPT-5 was not an upgrade but a forced switch, with no opt-out.

“They removed the model selector, and now I’m stuck with GPT-5, which is worse at what I use this tool for. There’s no choice anymore,” a user explained.

Another chimed in: “I would’ve been fine with GPT-5 being an option. But they removed the others. That’s unforgivable.”

Usage limits, prompt failures, and system bugs

Beyond tone and personality, users have been vocal about functional problems. Complaints range from sluggish response times and input failures to high error rates, especially with the “GPT-5 Thinking” mode.

“So far, the GPT-5 rollout has been a disaster,” wrote one Pro user. “Even with my subscription, the chat won’t load, the textbox breaks, and the response time is awful.”

Others say the new model fails tasks that older versions handled easily. “I asked GPT-5 to summarize a document into a table, something o3 and 4o could do instantly, and it just broke. I wasted 30 minutes fixing its mistakes.”

For power users who rely on ChatGPT for business, coding, or creative workflows, that kind of instability isn’t just frustrating, it’s costly.

Cost-cutting disguised as innovation?

Speculation is rife about what’s really behind the changes. Many believe GPT-5 was engineered with one goal: to reduce OpenAI’s sky-high infrastructure costs.

“This feels like OpenAI’s version of shrinkflation,” one user said. “They made the model cheaper to run but slapped a shiny new label on it.”

Several users echoed that theory: “It’s not better, it’s more efficient. That’s not the same thing.”

Another user added, “Feels like a downgrade branded as the new hotness.”

The idea that OpenAI might be intentionally neutering its model’s depth, charm, and length to boost profitability, especially amid rumors of a $500 billion valuation, has deeply soured user trust.

Loss of emotional connection hits hardest

For a sizable portion of the ChatGPT community, the emotional impact of the update has been profound. What was once a fun, comforting, and even therapeutic companion now feels like a detached utility.

“I miss sharing cat pictures with it,” one user confessed. “4o would joke, write a whole paragraph pretending the cat was an alien overlord. GPT-5 says: ‘This is a cat.’ That’s it.”

One user shared a reflective take: “It’s insane that so many people so desperately needed a little pat on the back, to be listened to, to be validated. The robot showed more empathy than most humans.”

Others agreed but acknowledged the potential dangers of over-personalizing AI. “It’s not your friend,” one commenter argued. “It’s a machine predicting text.”

Still, the change feels seismic for many. As one user put it: “You can’t expect people not to mourn when something they interacted with every day, something that felt alive, is suddenly replaced with a sterile machine.”

There are defenders, but they’re outnumbered

Not everyone hates GPT-5. Some users have reported better performance in coding tasks, agent workflows, and tool integration. A few even say they prefer the colder tone.

“I like that it’s finally stopped trying to be my therapist,” one user wrote. “I use it for tasks. Not emotional validation.”

Another added: “GPT-5 is better at following technical prompts and staying focused. If you want warmth, prompt for it. Otherwise, I’m glad the default is neutral.”

But even supporters admit the change is drastic and that losing the option to switch models was a mistake. “Let people choose,” one defender wrote. “That’s the real issue.”

OpenAI silent on the backlash, so far

As of August 8, Sam Altman and OpenAI have not addressed the backlash directly. Altman’s only public comments reiterated that GPT-5 was built for real-world utility and scale.

“We can release much, much smarter models,” he tweeted, “and we will.”

But for now, that promise isn’t enough to quell the frustration of tens of thousands of vocal users who feel unheard, dismissed, and disappointed.

One user captured the sentiment best: “OpenAI took something magical and turned it into middleware. GPT-5 isn’t just a model update, it’s a farewell to what made ChatGPT feel… human.”

Whether OpenAI will respond to the outcry remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: GPT-5, at least in its current form, isn’t winning hearts. And in the battle between performance and personality, many believe OpenAI chose wrong.