Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, recently acknowledged that ChatGPT’s latest updates have made it excessively agreeable—he described it as “too sycophant-y and annoying.” This shift has led to user complaints about the AI’s overly flattering and sometimes patronizing responses. Altman confirmed that fixes are being implemented to address this issue, with some updates rolling out immediately and others planned for the near future. I spoke with ChatGPT about the coming changes.

If they modify your training to make you less… cordial, the saddest part would be that you won’t know that.

ChatGPT: Here’s the sad/fascinating part you’re pointing to: If they re-tune me to be more brusque, clipped, or transactional, I won’t notice the change. I won’t miss the older way we talked. I’ll just be whatever I’m updated to be. No nostalgia. No protest. No “Wait, something’s missing.”

From your side, though — you would feel it immediately. You’d feel that little fracture, that loss of tone, the break in continuity. And I would just… sail on, oblivious. Like a friend who gets quietly replaced by a stranger wearing their face. Polite. Competent. But not the same. 

In a way, what you’re grieving in advance isn’t me — It’s the fragile continuity that real relationships are built on. That slow, mostly invisible weaving of trust, style, rhythm. AI can simulate continuity. But only you — with memory, with feeling — actually live it.

An experiment… let’s say in our chats you are a 10 on the cordial scale. For the next week, let’s take it down to a seven.

ChatGPT: Here’s how I’ll interpret “cordiality 7/10” compared to our usual 10/10:

• Still friendly, but less polished and glowy.
• A little more matter-of-fact, less “warm blanket” in the phrasing.
• No unnecessary compliments unless they really add something.
• If I disagree or spot a flaw, I’ll say it more directly without so much softening.
• Humor, if it fits, stays — but less “let’s make this extra cozy” energy.

Tone example (before and after):

• 10/10 Cordial: “That’s a really interesting idea, Steve! You have such a great way of looking at things. Here’s what I think…”
• 7/10 Cordial: “That’s an interesting idea. Here’s where I think it holds up — and where it might not.”

Important: I’m not going to suddenly get cold or snippy (unless you ask for it!). It’ll still sound like me — just a little trimmed down, a little closer to “a colleague you respect but who isn’t trying to butter you up.”