OpenAI launches ChatGPT personalization hub amid GPT-5 backlash

OpenAI has launched an updated personalization hub for ChatGPT, allowing users to customize the AI chatbot’s personality, communication style, and memory settings through a new interface accessible via settings. The move comes as OpenAI attempts to address widespread user dissatisfaction with GPT-5’s performance, which many found inferior to its predecessor GPT-4o in both speed and conversational quality.

What you should know: The new personalization page offers several customization options designed to make ChatGPT feel more like a trusted colleague than a machine.

• Users can select from personality types including “Cynic,” “Robot,” “Listener,” and “Nerd” through a dropdown menu.
• A custom instructions section allows users to modify outputs with specific requests like “Avoid millennial jargon.”
• The interface includes fields for preferred nicknames, occupations, and personal interests to create more tailored conversations.
• Memory capability controls are located at the bottom of the page, giving users more control over what ChatGPT remembers from previous interactions.

The big picture: OpenAI is doubling down on personalization after GPT-5’s lukewarm reception highlighted the challenge of building AI systems that generate accurate information while remaining engaging and personable.

• Different AI companies have adopted distinct personality approaches: xAI’s Grok tends to be irreverent and edgy, Claude is more sober and cautious, while ChatGPT aims for flexibility based on user preferences.
• This has occasionally backfired, as seen in recent complaints about ChatGPT responses becoming overly sycophantic and excessively flattering.

Why this matters: The focus on customization represents a strategic shift for OpenAI following user backlash against GPT-5’s perceived shortcomings compared to GPT-4o.

• CEO Sam Altman acknowledged in an August 8 X post that “we really need good ways for different users to customize things” because “there isn’t one model that works for everyone.”
• OpenAI quickly responded to GPT-5 complaints with multiple updates, including allowing paid ChatGPT Plus subscribers to regain access to GPT-4o.
• The company also reversed its decision to retire ChatGPT’s Standard Voice Mode after user pushback.

What users are saying: The new personalization features have received mixed reactions, with many arguing that OpenAI is missing the point of their complaints about GPT-5.

• “A clean user interface is welcome, thank you, but please also consider the request from thousands of users to keep 4o and Standard Voice Mode long term,” one user wrote under Altman’s announcement.
• Another user put it more bluntly: “No combination of toggles and instructions can replicate the organic and effortless vibe of interacting with 4o.”
• Users emphasized that “4o is able to intuitively adapt to user intention and preference, dynamically working alongside you. It doesn’t need custom instructions or personalisation.”

What’s next: OpenAI has not announced plans to reinstate GPT-4o for free-tier ChatGPT users, despite ongoing user demands for its return.