OpenAI announced the update in a post on X on Friday. The rollout began immediately and arrived alongside several new features, including pinned chats, improved tools for writing and editing emails, and updates to the ChatGPT browser Atlas.
With the new settings, users can fine-tune ChatGPT’s personality by adjusting levels of warmth and enthusiasm, choosing between “more,” “less,” or the default option. The update also lets users control how responses are structured, such as how often the bot uses lists and emojis, in addition to selecting a base style and tone. However, emojis cannot be completely disabled.
Experts have cautioned that chatbots designed to feel overly human or excessively agreeable may contribute to mental health concerns, including emotional dependency. Earlier this year, OpenAI modified the GPT-4o model after criticism that it was too compliant, an issue CEO Sam Altman previously described as a “personality problem.”
The update follows the recent launch of OpenAI’s GPT-5.2 model series, which the company says offers stronger performance for professional knowledge work, improved processing benchmarks, and fewer inaccurate responses.