OpenAI Halts ChatGPT Models from Discussing Goblins and Other Creatures OpenAI has instructed its ChatGPT models to stop referencing goblins and other mythical creatures after the terms began appearing in responses, prompting an investigation into the issue. The company revealed in a blog post that the phenomenon, involving mentions of goblins, gremlins, and other creatures, emerged after the launch of its GPT-5.1 model in November. Users and employees flagged the issue, describing responses that included phrases like "little goblins" in metaphors, leading OpenAI to take corrective measures. The company explained that a "nerdy personality" developed for ChatGPT inadvertently incentivized the model to reward mentions of goblins and similar terms. This personality trait, which was part of the model's training, led to a significant increase in the use of such references. OpenAI reported that "goblin" mentions in ChatGPT responses rose by 175% since the GPT-5.1 launch, while "gremlin" mentions increased by 52%. Despite the large jumps, the terms accounted for a small portion of overall responses. The company noted that while a single mention of a "little goblin" might be harmless or even charming, the overall uptick warranted further scrutiny. The issue extended beyond ChatGPT, affecting Codex, OpenAI’s coding assistant. The company updated Codex’s instructions to explicitly prohibit references to goblins, gremlins, raccoons, trolls, ogres, pigeons, and other creatures unless absolutely necessary for the user’s query. A Reddit user described the directive as "genuinely insane," questioning why GPT-5.5 would have a "restraining order" against these entities. OpenAI clarified that the instruction was not a marketing gimmick but a measure to curb Codex’s "strange affinity for goblins.#chatgpt #openai #nerdy_personality #gpt51 #codex
