GPT-5 is supposed to be nicer now

In Brief OpenAI announced late Friday that it’s updating its latest model to be “warmer and friendlier.” The company recently launched the much-anticipated GPT-5 in a process that CEO Sam Altman admitted was “a little more bumpy than we’d hoped for,” with some users complaining that they preferred the previous model, GPT-4o. OpenAI is trying to address some of those complaints with this update, with changes that it says are “subtle” but will make GPT-5 “more approachable now.” “You’ll notice small, genuine touches like ‘Good question’ or ‘Great start,’ not flattery,” the company wrote in a social media post. “Internal tests show no rise in sycophancy compared to the previous GPT-5 personality.“ At a dinner this week with journalists, OpenAI executives tried to focus on the company’s plans beyond GPT-5, but as Max Zeff reports, the rocky launch was the elephant in the room. As far as model friendliness goes, VP Nick Turley said that GPT-5 was “just very to the point,” but that the new update would — as now announced — make it feel warmer. We’re always looking to evolve, and by providing some insight into your perspective and feedback into TechCrunch and our coverage and events, you can help us! Fill out this survey to let us know how we’re doing and get the chance to win a prize in return!