OpenAI confirms ChatGPT has been getting ‘lazier’ – but a fix is coming
Declining performance
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Have you recently felt thatChatGPTisn’t performing as well as it used to? If so, you’re not alone, as numerous users have claimed the artificial intelligence (AI)chatbothas been on the decline – andChatGPTdeveloperOpenAIhas just confirmed a possible reason why that might be the case.
In fact, OpenAI seemed to endorse the idea that ChatGPT wasgetting “lazier”on X (formerly Twitter). In the post, OpenAI explained it had heard users’ feedback and that the reason for ChatGPT getting “lazier” was that it hadn’t been updated since November 11 – an entire month.
While OpenAI said this lack of updates wasn’t “intentional,” it added that it was “looking into fixing it.” It also noted that “model behavior can be unpredictable,” perhaps hinting that the developer itself hadn’t noticed ChatGPT’s declining performance until users brought it to light.
Despite all that, OpenAI hasn’t given an indication of when the issue might be fixed. If you regularly useChatGPT promptsand have noticed a downward trend in the tool’s abilities, you’ll just have to hang tight until an update gets released.
Temporary solutions
Underneath the post on X, OpenAI further clarified the issue. One userasked the developerhow it’s possible that ChatGPT could get lazier.
In response,OpenAI explainedthat “to be clear, the idea is not that the model has somehow changed itself since Nov 11th. It’s just that differences in model behavior can be subtle – only a subset of prompts may be degraded, and it may take a long time for customers and employees to notice and fix these patterns.”
Other comments suggested ways to restore ChatGPT to its former prowess, including using the phrase “take a deep breath” or telling the chatbot to “reason step-by-step.” These might serve as temporary solutions until OpenAI is able to fix the underlying issue.
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The degradation of ChatGPT performance comes shortly afterGoogleannounced its own ChatGPT rival calledGemini. Yet despite flashy promises from the search giant, numerous reports have emerged claiming its abilities areless than stellar. Perhaps it’s time for both OpenAI and Google to give their chatbots a Christmas break and work on some upgrades for 2024.
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Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he’s learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That’s all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.
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