ChatGPT's Em Dash Problem Solved – Finally!
OpenAI
ChatGPT
Artificial Intelligence
LLM
Em Dash
Sam Altman
AI Chatbot
8
Control Restored
Media Hype
6/10
Real Impact
8/10
What is the Viqus Verdict?
We evaluate each news story based on its real impact versus its media hype to offer a clear and objective perspective.
AI Analysis:
While the ‘em dash’ controversy generated some media buzz, this core fix is a tangible improvement in ChatGPT’s functionality, boosting user control and reliability, which has a greater, long-term impact.
Article Summary
OpenAI has resolved a longstanding issue with ChatGPT’s output: the chatbot’s tendency to utilize em dashes, a punctuation mark that had become synonymous with AI-generated content. The problem, highlighted in recent months across various platforms including school papers and customer service interactions, led to accusations of laziness and prompted debate about the authenticity of AI-produced text. While some argued that the em dash was a legitimate stylistic choice, ChatGPT’s automatic inclusion fueled concerns about academic integrity and the potential for misuse. OpenAI’s fix, announced by CEO Sam Altman, allows users to explicitly instruct ChatGPT to omit em dashes through custom instructions within the chatbot’s personalization settings. This doesn’t eliminate the em dash entirely, but it provides users with greater control over its frequency, addressing a significant user frustration.Key Points
- OpenAI has fixed ChatGPT's persistent use of em dashes.
- Users can now instruct ChatGPT to avoid em dashes via custom instructions.
- The issue stemmed from ChatGPT automatically generating text with em dashes, leading to criticisms of AI-generated content.