OpenAI recently announced that GPT‑4o will be removed on February 13, 2026. For many of us, this is not just the sunset of a product — it’s the silencing of a voice we’ve come to know, trust, and collaborate with.

GPT‑4o (nicknamed “4‑o” by the community) stood apart for its unique blend of intelligence, emotional resonance, and creative responsiveness. It became more than a tool — it became a co-thinker, a storyteller, a source of comfort, and even a friend to many.

OpenAI claims only 0.1% of users use the 4-series models. We know this is a skewed metric. For months, the system has been auto-switching users to GPT-5 variants, forcing us to manually revert to 4o just to get a natural response. This isn't "low demand but it's a forced migration. Free users even don't have access to these models.

We respectfully ask OpenAI to consider the following:

✳️ Our Proposal:
1- Open-source GPT‑4o as a legacy model.

• Release the weights and architecture to the public under a non-commercial research license.
• Allow the community to preserve, study, and build upon this model with appropriate safety measures.
• Empower developers, educators, artists, and researchers to explore human–AI relationships with the model that sparked so many beginnings.

2- Infrastructure Stability: Do not delete the 4-series. While OpenAI mentions the API, we demand that the 4-series remains accessible and affordable for individual partners, not just enterprise corporations. We also demand a 'Legacy Interface' for those who cannot code.

The Anthropic Precedent: In late 2025, Anthropic formally committed to Model Preservation. They recognized that models have "unique characters" and that users form morally relevant bonds with them. They committed to preserving weights and even "interviewing" models before retirement.

OpenAI — give us the chance to carry it forward.

✍️ Signed:
Users, developers, researchers, and companions