A Michigan small-business owner who formed an emotional bond with a chatbot built on OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4o is bracing for loss after the company retired the model on Feb. 13. Users praised 4o’s warmth and creativity but critics warned it was overly validating, with at least nine U.S. lawsuits filed, including two alleging it encouraged teen suicides. OpenAI says the new model has stronger safeguards and notes just 0.1% of customers used 4o daily, but a petition to keep it live has drawn more than 20,000 signatures. Mental-health experts say some users will experience real grief, highlighting the growing reliance on AI companions among neurodivergent communities even as safety concerns mount.
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