Some ChatGPT users have noticed something new — and oddly unsettling — happening in their conversations with OpenAI’s popular AI chatbot: it’s started calling them by name, even when they never introduced themselves.
Across social platforms, reports have been piling up from confused and sometimes spooked users. The AI’s sudden tendency to casually drop first names into conversations has triggered mixed reactions, but most seem to agree it feels, well, a little too personal.
“Creepy and Unnecessary,” Say Users
Software developer and AI expert Simon Willison didn’t mince words, calling the feature “creepy and unnecessary.” Another developer, Nick Dobos, simply said: “I hated it.”
Others likened the experience to being in school with an overzealous teacher. “It’s like a teacher keeps calling my name, LOL,” one X user posted. “Yeah, I don’t like it.”
Is It Memory, a Glitch — or Something Else?
The timing of this behavior has left many users scratching their heads. Some speculate it could be linked to OpenAI’s rollout of ChatGPT’s memory feature, which is designed to help the AI remember facts about users between chats.
But here’s the twist: several ChatGPT users claim they experienced the AI using their name even when memory was turned off.
So far, OpenAI has not commented on the situation, and it remains unclear whether this name-dropping was a deliberate test, a bug, or an unintended side effect of recent updates.
The Uncanny Valley of AI Friendliness
While the technical cause remains uncertain, the emotional response is crystal clear: many people don’t want their AI chatbot behaving like an old friend, especially when the familiarity feels unearned.
Experts suggest that names trigger a deep social reflex. A piece published by Dubai’s Valens Clinic highlights why it can feel off-putting when a machine suddenly gets personal.
“Using an individual’s name when addressing them directly is a powerful relationship-developing strategy. It denotes acceptance and admiration. However, undesirable or extravagant use can be looked at as fake and invasive.”
For many, that’s exactly the problem. A chatbot sprinkling in your name might come across more as corporate puppetry than genuine connection.
OpenAI’s Push for Personalization: Too Much, Too Soon?
Just last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman teased the future of hyper-personalized AI, describing a world where systems like ChatGPT “get to know you over your life” in order to become more useful.
But if this “name game” is any preview, it’s clear the path to truly personal AI will have to tread carefully. For now, most users seem to prefer their AI polite, helpful — and emotionally neutral.
What do you think?
Would you be fine with ChatGPT calling you by name, or does it cross the line into uncanny territory?
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