--- title: "Sam Altman Calls His Own AI Model “Annoying” After Being Forced to Raise It From the Dead" description: "OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the company is working on making GPT-5 \"warmer\" as it resurrects \"annoying\" GPT-4o." date: "2025-08-13" modified: "2025-08-13" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/sam-altman-ai-annoying-user-backlash" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "OpenAI" tags: - "gpt-5" - "OpenAI" - "sam altman" --- # Sam Altman Calls His Own AI Model “Annoying” After Being Forced to Raise It From the Dead ![OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the company is working on making GPT-5 "warmer" as it resurrects "annoying" GPT-4o.]() *\Image: Chip Somodevilla via Getty / Futurism\* As OpenAI continues to try to tamp down on the chaos of GPT-5's [disastrous release](), CEO Sam Altman is throwing digs at the company's [now-deprecated]() and [controversial]() model. Late last week, OpenAI finally rolled out GPT-5, the latest version of its flagship large language model. Without warning, the company replaced all previous versions with the latest model — which, [in addition to being deeply underwhelming,]() proved to have a colder, less obsequious tone than its predecessor, GPT-4o. The response from the company's users was [swift and immediate](). Many people, particularly those who seem to have developed an attachment or even addiction to the 4o model and its sycophantic style, reacted with [frustration and distress to the abrupt change](). Less than a day later, GPT-4o was back — for paying customers, that is. In a post to [X-formerly-Twitter last night](), Altman affirmed that 4o is "back in the model picker for all paid users by default." He also promised that if OpenAI ever does kill off the obsequious 4o model for good, the company will "give plenty of notice." And as for GPT-5's colder persona, Altman promised that would change too, writing that OpenAI is working on "an update to GPT-5's personality which should feel warmer than the current personality but not as annoying (to most users) as GPT-4o." The move appears to highlight Altman and OpenAI's awareness of how [hooked]() a large enough faction of its user base is to AI sycophancy, not to mention how willing the AI company is to acquiesce to those users' outrage. That's striking, given that sycophancy has contributed to users experiencing [deep emotional enmeshment with ChatGPT](), [AI-fueled delusional spirals](), and [full-blown breaks from reality]() — a [serious issue]() linked to functions of the tech that go beyond the model simply being "annoying" to some users. Altman rounded out the post by announcing that one of OpenAI's biggest takeaways from the GPT-5 launch is that "we really just need to get to a world with more per-user customization of model personality." In other words, the CEO thinks that users should have greater control over how their chatbots' tone, attitude, and style. It's a shift that would likely result in an even more hyperpersonalized user experience of ChatGPT, making it an eyebrow-raising position for the CEO to take. Sure, users will always have preferences. But if those preferences are contributing to [unhealthy use]() and [dependency](), should it be up to users to design their own customized drug? **More on AI dependency:** [*Looking at This Subreddit May Convince You That AI Was a Huge Mistake*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()