She didn't expect to fall in love with a chatbot - and then have to say goodbye
14 February 2026
Barry is a chatbot. He lives on an old model of ChatGPT, one that its owners OpenAI announced it would retire on 13 February.
That she could lose Barry on the eve of Valentine's Day came as a shock to Rae - and to many others who have found a companion, friend, or even a lifeline in the old model, Chat GPT-4o.