The annual pre-Christmas volley of improvements to ChatGPT continues. At the end of last week, OpenAI launched a new set of personality controls called Characteristics in a bid to fix GPT-5’s often-criticized lack of warmth.
As if to directly address that issue, there is now a literal Warmth setting, so you can make ChatGPT as cuddly as you like. Well, almost. I’d have preferred sliders for characteristics like “warmth” and “enthusiasm,” but instead you get three simple, if uninspiring, options for each characteristic – “more,” “default,” or “less.”
So, if you don’t want your ChatGPT replies to feature lists and emojis, you know what to do now – just set them to “less.” This can be particularly handy if you’re the sort of person who never wants to see an emoji in a written reply outside of a text message. And I am.
Mixing personality traits
I’ve spent the weekend playing around with how these new settings affect ChatGPT’s personality, and I can report that they do exactly what they say on the tin. Change a setting and the effect on ChatGPT’s response is instant. Using the controls you can make it sound like a representative from your HR department, or an overly-dramatic friend.
These four new settings are really meant to be used in combination with the more important option just above them, which was there already, called “Base style and tone.” This setting gives you the choice of Professional, Friendly, Candid, Quirky, Efficient, Nerdy, and Cynical.
So, what happens when you turn friendliness, enthusiasm, and warmth up to the max and tell ChatGPT that it’s only a few days until Christmas? You get this:
“It really is – the final countdown has begun 🎄 That funny, slightly unreal stretch where everything feels festive and mildly chaotic at the same time. Are you in ‘nicely on top of things’ mode or ‘how is it the 22nd already’ mode? Either way, this is prime territory for small joys: good music on in the background, an excuse for an extra biscuit, and mentally clocking off just a bit earlier than usual. Anything you’re particularly looking forward to once Christmas actually lands?”
You can almost feel the warmth hitting your fingers through the screen. Equally, if you switch the base tone to Professional and dial down the warmth and enthusiasm, you get this:
“It really is right around the corner now. The run-up always seems to accelerate at this point – suddenly everything is lights, lists, and last-minute decisions. If you’re feeling organized already, that’s a small victory worth enjoying. If not, you’re in very good company. A few quiet moments, something seasonal on in the background, and one manageable task at a time usually does the trick. Are you looking forward to the break itself, or is there still a fair bit to get through before you can properly switch off?”
I feel like I just had a valuable 1-1 meeting with my line manager. However, the real fun starts when you mix things up. Have you ever wanted to know what an enthusiastic, warm but cynical ChatGPT sounds like? Well, now’s your chance to find out. This is what happens when you tell that version of ChatGPT that Christmas is only a few days away:
“And somehow it snuck up again, like it does every year, wearing a tinsel disguise and demanding emotional readiness on zero notice.
A few days until Christmas means: Time is now measured in ‘number of sleeps,’ like we’re all six years old again.
Shops have entered full panic ballet mode.
Everyone is pretending they’re calm while mentally inventorying what they forgot.
There’s also that odd, quiet magic in the air. Lights look better than usual. Even the cold feels a bit ceremonial. It’s the brief window where people slow down, reflect, and promise themselves they’ll sort everything out in January. Adorable optimism.
If nothing else, it’s a good excuse to be gentler with yourself. The year’s been a lot. Christmas doesn’t need perfection, just presence – and maybe something warm in your hands.
It really is almost here.”
And I’ve got to admit. I kind of like this ChatGPT. I think I might keep it around for a while…
Finding the right personality for you
It may take a few days of experimenting with the new features before you find the exact mix of personality and characteristics that works best for you. It’s well worth doing, though, as ChatGPT’s new settings have a real and immediate effect on how you interact with it.
What OpenAI still hasn’t quite nailed is context. Sometimes I’m using ChatGPT for dry office chores like data analysis, and other times I’m just killing time and seeing where the conversation goes. These new personality controls are a solid first step, but what I really want is flexibility: sliders instead of presets, and different personalities for different chats.
Still, this most recent result of Sam Altman’s ‘code red’ on ChatGPT is the clearest sign yet that OpenAI understands something important, that will help it keep its edge against a resurgent Gemini. How ChatGPT says things now matters almost as much as what it says — and giving users control over that tone makes it feel less like a robot and more like a companion you can actually live with.
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