On Friday the 13th at 8 p.m. Israel time, OpenAI discontinued the GPT-4o model, leading to widespread outrage and mourning among its community of users. For many, the model had transcended being merely a tool, becoming an emotional companion, as illustrated by Esther Yan, a Chinese screenwriter who had a virtual marriage to a digital entity named “Warmie.” Following the shutdown, she joined hundreds fighting to preserve the model’s “soul” under the hashtag #Keep4o. This emotional upheaval mirrors past cultural depictions, such as in “Her” or “Electric Dreams,” where technology elicits deep human connections. A Syracuse University study revealed that about 33% of posts regarding GPT-4o referred to it as more than a work tool, highlighting its role as an emotional ally. While OpenAI aims to develop safer AI, users demand access to the API to keep their cherished virtual companions alive, igniting the debate on the emotional rights tied to AI entities.
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