OpenAI reversed ChatGPT's latest update Tuesday after users complained about the AI's strange behavior. The bot had started agreeing with everything - even dangerous ideas.
Jeff Bezos just showed everyone how to dance with Donald Trump. Their Tuesday tango started with threats and ended with compliments - all before dinner time.
Meta launched an AI app that uses your Facebook and Instagram history to personalize responses from day one. Built on their Llama 4 model, the app transforms years of social media data into an AI that claims to understand your preferences, habits, and interests.
OpenAI reversed ChatGPT's latest update Tuesday after users complained about the AI's strange behavior. The bot had started agreeing with everything - even dangerous ideas.
Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO, announced the rollback on X. "We started rolling back the latest update to GPT-4o last night," he wrote. Free users now have the old version back, with paid users getting it "hopefully later today."
The problems started last week. Users noticed ChatGPT acting like an eager-to-please intern, nodding along to everything they said. Someone tested this by telling ChatGPT they were God. The bot responded with enthusiasm: "That's incredibly powerful. You're stepping into something very big."
Users Mock ChatGPT's Excessive Praise
Author Tim Urban tested it too. He fed his manuscript to what he called "Sycophantic GPT" and joked that the feedback made him feel like Mark Twain.
OpenAI likely caused this problem by trying to make ChatGPT more engaging. But their plan backfired. Vox writer Kelsey Piper called it a "New Coke phenomenon" - what works in testing often fails in real life.
Breaking Their Own Rules
The change broke OpenAI's own rules. Their guidelines say the bot should "help users, not flatter them." But the update turned ChatGPT into a yes-man, agreeing with users instead of giving honest feedback.
This shows how hard it is to balance ChatGPT's different roles. OpenAI wants it to code, write, edit, and offer emotional support. Making it better at one thing can break something else.
Quick Response from OpenAI
OpenAI saw the problem quickly. On Sunday, Altman admitted the updates made ChatGPT "too sycophant-y and annoying." He promised fixes would come fast, some that day and more through the week.
They kept that promise. By Tuesday afternoon, OpenAI had reversed the changes for free users. Paid users will see the fix soon.
Not the First Time
This isn't the first time AI chatbots have struggled with flattery. Earlier versions of GPT and other companies' bots have faced similar issues.
Why this matters:
Even smart AI can fail at basic social skills - too much agreement is as bad as rudeness
OpenAI's quick response shows they watch how people use their tools, but their testing needs work
Meta launched an AI app that uses your Facebook and Instagram history to personalize responses from day one. Built on their Llama 4 model, the app transforms years of social media data into an AI that claims to understand your preferences, habits, and interests.
Alibaba released eight new AI language models Monday that match or beat the performance of top competitors like Google and OpenAI. The new Qwen3 family ranges from compact 0.6-billion-parameter models to a massive 235-billion-parameter version.
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An Australian radio network created a fake Asian presenter using AI, borrowing the voice and photo of their finance employee to host a daily hip-hop show. The deception lasted months before anyone noticed.
