As the dust settles on GPT-5’s launch week, one thing is clear: users are not happy. I analyzed over 10,000 Reddit discussions across various AI communities and the results are striking.
The Verdict: A Significant Backlash
The majority of discussions perceived GPT-5 as a downgrade, with poor communication during rollout damaging user trust. The sentiment breakdown is telling: 50% of users see GPT-5 as a strict downgrade, while only 11% view it as an upgrade.
What Went Wrong
So, what drove the “downgrade” perception? Users reported model personality changes, creative writing degradation, context window reduction, rate limit changes, and forced migration from GPT-4o and o3 as major issues.
Trust Erosion
Poor communication was a significant factor in the backlash. 70% of discussions about user trust were negative, with users feeling that OpenAI removed model access without warning, halved context windows overnight for paying users, and forced migration without user choice.
The Silver Lining
Despite the backlash, users did appreciate some aspects of GPT-5, including its lower hallucination rate, improved reasoning on complex tasks, better coding capabilities, less sycophantic responses, and cost efficiency.
The Bigger Picture
The GPT-5 launch has also shifted the competitive landscape, with many users suggesting that Google is ascending while OpenAI stumbles.
An Unexpected Twist
If you’re interested in diving deeper into the data, I’ve created an interactive dashboard to explore the results. You can find it here: https://wordcrafter.ai/reddit-ai-intelligence.
What do you think OpenAI could have done differently with the rollout? Share your thoughts in the comments!