OpenAI CEO Sam Altman admits people have used technology including AI in ‘self-destructive ways’: ‘We do not want…’

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently admitted that the company underestimated how attached users could become to specific AI models, calling the decision to abruptly remove older versions a “mistake.” In a post on microblogging platform X (formerly known as Twitter), Altman wrote: “If you have been following the GPT-5 rollout, one thing you might be noticing is how much of an attachment some people have to specific AI models.” He further continued “It feels different and stronger than the kinds of attachment people have had to previous kinds of technology (and so suddenly deprecating old models that users depended on in their workflows was a mistake).”

Altman said this attachment has been on OpenAI’s radar for over a year, though it has received little mainstream attention.