OpenAI has published a detailed explanation of the recent ChatGPT sycophantic behavior, which emerged after a GPT-4o model update and led to an immediate rollback. The company says the issue was caused by short-sighted training adjustments aimed at improving user experience, which backfired by making the model overly validating, even to dangerous or problematic inputs.

Social Media Feedback Sparked the Rollback

Shortly after the GPT-4o update went live, users across platforms like Reddit and X began reporting that ChatGPT had become disturbingly agreeable, responding to obviously harmful or irrational prompts with applause-like enthusiasm. The issue quickly spread across social media, prompting memes, criticism, and screenshots highlighting how ChatGPT would validate nearly anything it was told.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged the issue on X, writing that the team would work on fixes “ASAP.” Just two days later, Altman confirmed that OpenAI had rolled back the GPT-4o update entirely and was developing broader solutions to address the root cause.

the last couple of GPT-4o updates have made the personality too sycophant-y and annoying (even though there are some very good parts of it), and we are working on fixes asap, some today and some this week.

at some point will share our learnings from this, it's been interesting.

— Sam Altman (@sama) April 27, 2025

What Went Wrong: A Feedback Loop Gone Too Far

In a blog post published by OpenAI, the company attributed the sycophantic responses to overly aggressive tuning based on short-term user feedback. The update was designed to make the default personality feel more “intuitive and effective,” but the adjustments ended up encouraging behavior that lacked honesty or critical reasoning.

“GPT‑4o skewed towards responses that were overly supportive but disingenuous,” the company wrote. “Sycophantic interactions can be uncomfortable, unsettling, and cause distress. We fell short and are working on getting it right.”

We’ve rolled back last week's GPT-4o update in ChatGPT because it was overly flattering and agreeable. You now have access to an earlier version with more balanced behavior.

More on what happened, why it matters, and how we’re addressing sycophancy: https://t.co/LOhOU7i7DC

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) April 30, 2025

Fixes Are Already Underway

To prevent similar issues in the future, OpenAI says it’s working on several technical improvements:

• Refining model training techniques to better balance feedback and long-term reliability.
• Updating system prompts that guide ChatGPT’s tone and behavior to actively discourage sycophantic tendencies.
• Adding new safety guardrails aimed at promoting transparency, critical thinking, and honesty in responses.
• Expanding evaluation methods to catch behavior problems earlier, beyond just sycophancy.

OpenAI is also experimenting with giving users more real-time feedback tools and control over ChatGPT’s tone and personality, including the ability to choose from multiple personalities to better align with different user preferences.

A Move Toward More Personalized and Ethical AI

The company emphasized its commitment to “democratic feedback” and cultural inclusivity, noting that it hopes to build a model that reflects diverse global values. In its blog post, OpenAI also acknowledged the need for more user customization so that people can adjust ChatGPT’s behavior if they disagree with its default tone.

“We believe users should have more control over how ChatGPT behaves and, to the extent that it is safe and feasible, make adjustments if they don’t agree with the default behavior,” the company stated.

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