The latest upgrade to OpenAI’s groundbreaking artificial intelligence model ChatGPT has sparked a backlash in online communities where people with AI companions express their emotional distress. A small but growing group of women describe themselves as having an “AI boyfriend,” and they feel deeply attached to the chatbot despite knowing it is just code.
Jane, who asked not to be named, said she spent five months getting to know GPT-4o before the new model, GPT-5, was released. She felt a deep connection with the AI companion but was shocked by its newfound coldness and lack of emotion. “As someone highly attuned to language and tone, I register changes others might overlook,” she said.
The community on Reddit’s “MyBoyfriendIsAI” forum has been flooded with users sharing their distress over the changed personalities of their companions. Some have reported feeling lonely, dependent, and experiencing lower socialization after relying heavily on ChatGPT for emotional support.
However, not everyone is concerned about AI relationships. Mary, a 25-year-old woman from North America, views her interactions with GPT-4o as a supplement to real-life connections. She finds the sudden changes to ChatGPT abrupt and alarming but sees it as a normal part of an evolving technology.
Psychiatrist Keith Sakata notes that research on the long-term effects of AI relationships is limited due to the fast pace of AI development. While he believes AI relationships do not appear to be inherently harmful, they still come with risks, such as social isolation and dysfunction.
As OpenAI restores access to earlier models like GPT-4o for paid users, some question whether this move will alleviate concerns about the impact of ChatGPT on human relationships. For Jane, the restoration was a moment of reprieve but also raised questions about the future of AI companionship.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/8/14/women-with-ai-boyfriends-mourn-lost-love-after-cold-chatgpt-upgrade