GPT-4o update gets recalled by OpenAI for being too agreeable

Late last week, OpenAI updated GPT-4o, the primary model behind its popular chatbot, ChatGPT. But it is already being recalled.

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On Tuesday, CEO Sam Altman announced via an X post that OpenAI "started rolling back" the update due to user complaints about its responses. In some examples, reacting to somewhat ridiculous test prompts, ChatGPT encouraged risky medical choices, rude and antisocial behavior, and valued a toaster over animal life.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, ZDNET's parent company, filed an April 2025 lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

Overly flattering

"The update we removed was overly flattering or agreeable -- often described as sycophantic," OpenAI said in a blog about the issue. Sycophancy in AI models can occur when human feedback is used to train them, specifically ...