OpenAI Rolls Back ChatGPT’s Model Router System for Most Users
OpenAI has quietly reversed a major change to how hundreds of millions of people use ChatGPT. The company said that it rolled back ChatGPT’s model router—an automated system that sends complicated user questions to more advanced “reasoning” models—for users on its Free and $5-a-month Go tiers.
However, the model router still exists for ChatGPT’s paid subscribers, including its $20-a-month Plus or $200-a-month Pro tiers, signaling that the company is still committed to the idea. Meanwhile, OpenAI will likely relaunch the model router for free and Go users when it’s improved.
Why Did OpenAI Reverse the Model Router?
According to an OpenAI spokesperson, the company determined, based on user feedback, that Free and Go users preferred staying in the default chat experience, with the option to manually select a reasoning experience when needed. Consequently, the company decided to roll back the model router and default to GPT-5.2 Instant, the fastest and cheapest-to-serve version of OpenAI’s new model series.
Moreover, the spokesperson said that ChatGPT’s paid users, however, continue to value the model router, and the company expects the technology underlying it to keep evolving.
The Model Router: A Controversial Feature
The model router was launched just four months ago as part of OpenAI’s push to unify the user experience with the debut of GPT-5. However, the feature was not as widely embraced as OpenAI expected, and it was criticized for sending many more free users to OpenAI’s advanced reasoning models, which are more expensive for OpenAI to serve.
Therefore, the company reinstated the model picker and some of its older AI models, while keeping the router as the default in ChatGPT via a newly branded mode: “Auto.”
What’s Next for ChatGPT?
As OpenAI pushes for higher usage in ChatGPT, it has to do so without backtracking on its safety commitments. In a recent report, the company said hundreds of thousands of ChatGPT users exhibited possible signs of mental health emergencies related to psychosis or mania every week, and it was taking steps to address how its AI models respond to them.
Moreover, OpenAI’s model router was one of those steps, routing sensitive queries to reasoning models, which were previously deemed better equipped to handle users in distress. However, the company will no longer route sensitive conversations to reasoning models due to GPT-5.2 Instant’s increased performance on safety benchmarks.
Meanwhile, the company is still committed to the idea of model routers and expects to relaunch the feature for free and Go users when it’s improved.
Consequently, the company is still figuring out the best way to integrate powerful AI models into mass-market consumer products.
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