What's with all the goblins? OpenAI tells ChatGPT to stop talking about mythical creatures

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. OpenAI tells ChatGPT models to stop talking about goblins 47 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Liv McMahon Technology reporter Getty Images The ChatGPT developer discovered the "strange affinity for goblins" while testing tools powered by newer systems, such as its coding agent Codex ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has had to instruct some of its AI tools to stop talking about goblins, after finding the term had randomly crept into responses. In a blog post on Thursday, the company said it spotted increased mentions of the mythological creatures, as well as gremlins, in ChatGPT, powered by its latest flagship model, GPT-5. After the issue was flagged by users and employees, OpenAI took steps to mitigate it, including telling its coding tool Codex not to refer to goblins unless relevant.

However, it highlights challenges AI firms face in tackling the potential for systems and their training to reward and reinforce errors like language quirks. OpenAI said it first noticed increased mentions of goblins, gremlins and other creatures after the launch of GPT-5. "Users complained about the model being oddly overfamiliar in conversation, which prompted an investigation into specific verbal tics," the company wrote in its blog post on Thursday .

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It added that after a researcher who had seen a few "goblin" mentions asked it to be checked out, developers found the term's appearance in ChatGPT responses had risen by 175% since GPT-5. They meanwhile found that mentions of "gremlin" rose by 52%. The increases, while large, may account for a small amount of responses overall.

According to OpenAI, "a single 'little goblin' in an answer could be harmless, even charming," but the uptick in their appearance across output warranted investigation. 'Raccoons, trolls, ogres, pigeons' Getty Images Goblins were not the only creature randomly appearing in responses, according to OpenAI Ahead of OpenAI's blog post detailing the issue, some social media users flagged a strange detail among lines of code instructing the company's coding assistant Codex how to behave in user interactions. Alongside telling it to avoid platitudes, it said Codex should "never talk about goblins, gremlins, raccoons, trolls, ogres, pigeons, or other animals or creatures unless it is absolutely and unambiguously relevant to the user's query".

A Reddit user who posted about it in the r/ChatGPT subreddit called it "genuinely insane". 5 have a restraining order against 'Raccoons,' 'Goblins,' and 'Pigeons'? " While some users elsewhere on social media speculated it may be designed to create hype around its AI tools, a company researcher denied this - writing "it really isn't a marketing gimmick," in a reply to a user on X on Wednesday .

OpenAI said in its blog post it added the instruction to curb Codex and its underlying model's "strange affinity for goblins".

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.