ChatGPT Learns New Social Nuance: Users Can Now Sculpt Its Personality

ChatGPT is stepping into a more customisable era. OpenAI has rolled out a fresh personalisation layer for users to subtly reshape how the chatbot sounds and behaves during conversations. The update, called Characteristics, empowers people to fine-tune ChatGPT’s conversational temperament without altering its underlying intelligence.

Announced on Friday by OpenAI, the feature lives within the chatbot’s personalisation settings and works alongside the existing eight preset personalities that already influence tone and voice. Instead of forcing users into fixed behavioural templates, Characteristics offers a gentler, more granular way to influence how responses feel, whether warm and animated or restrained and clinical.

According to OpenAI’s announcement on X (formerly Twitter), users can now modify specific traits such as warmth, enthusiasm, emoji usage, and formatting preferences. The goal is simple: let people design a version of ChatGPT that feels natural for daily interactions, whether those are casual chats, focused work sessions, or long-form discussions.

Importantly, OpenAI clarified that these adjustments are purely stylistic. Toggling any of the Characteristics does not dilute the model’s reasoning ability, accuracy, or knowledge depth. The substance remains intact, only the presentation evolves. This distinction matters most during relaxed or exploratory conversations, where tone often shapes user comfort more than factual density.

Accessing the feature is straightforward. Users can open the sidebar, head to Settings (or tap their profile name on the mobile app), and navigate to the Personalisation section. Inside, a new Characteristics panel appears with four adjustable elements: Warm, Enthusiastic, Headers & Lists, and Emoji.

Each characteristic can be tuned across three intensity levels: more, default, or less. Increasing warmth nudges responses toward a friendlier, more conversational register, while reducing it yields a more reserved, report-like delivery. Enthusiasm works similarly, allowing ChatGPT to sound buoyant and expressive or calm and neutral, depending on user preference.

Formatting also gets attention. By adjusting Headers & Lists, users can influence whether replies lean toward structured breakdowns or flowing prose. Emoji usage, meanwhile, can be amplified or toned down, though there is currently no option to disable emojis entirely.

This update signals a broader shift in how AI tools are evolving, from rigid assistants into adaptable conversational partners. By giving users subtle control over tone and expression, OpenAI is acknowledging that how information is delivered can be just as important as the information itself.