ChatGPT may be a little different now as OpenAI rolls out a new ‘warmer and friendlier' update
Despite adding some light flattery in the model with gestures like 'Good question' and 'Great start,' OpenAI says GPT-5 shows no increase in sycophancy (being overly agreeable with users) compared to the earlier GPT-5 personality.
The new update is rolling out to all users and should take about a day to complete.
Meanwhile, head of ChatGPT Nick Turley said that users can further customize ChatGPT's personality through the Custom Instructions settings. He also hinted at new upcoming ways to tailor ChatGPT's personality according to user preference.
Notably, OpenAI also provides an option to choose from four different personalities — Cynic, Robot, Listener, and Nerd — to tailor GPT-5's responses. However, this feature is currently restricted to paying customers and does not apply to the free tier of the app.
OpenAI had high hopes for its GPT-5 rollout, with CEO Sam Altman creating significant hype around the new AI model in the past few months. However, when the model finally launched last week, it was met with anything but a warm reception from users.
ChatGPT users complained that GPT-5's responses were shorter and seemed to lack the emotional depth of the previous model. Just a few months ago, OpenAI faced criticism for making GPT-4o too sycophantic, but this time, its new model received backlash for almost the opposite reasons.
Another major reason the GPT-5 launch fell flat was user frustration over the removal of all older AI models from ChatGPT. This not only disrupted workflows for many but also reduced usage limits for $20/month ChatGPT Plus subscribers, who went up in arms and threatened to cancel their subscriptions.
OpenAI then increased the rate limits for ChatGPT Plus users, first for the standard model and later for the GPT-5 Thinking model as well. The company also brought back the model picker in ChatGPT to allow users to select which AI model should answer their queries.
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