OpenAI Fixes ChatGPT’s Overuse of Em Dashes - AI News Today Recency

OpenAI has resolved a longstanding issue where ChatGPT persistently ignored user instructions to avoid em dashes — a punctuation mark that has become a telltale sign of AI-generated text[1][2]. CEO Sam Altman announced the fix on X Thursday night, stating "If you tell ChatGPT not to use em-dashes in your custom instructions, it finally does what it's supposed to do," calling it a "small-but-happy win"[1]. The update allows users to control em dash frequency through their personalization settings, addressing complaints from professionals who feared their writing would be flagged as AI-generated due to the chatbot's notorious overreliance on the punctuation

OpenAI's recent update to allow users to disable em dashes in ChatGPT's output has been met with relief and cautious optimism from the public, as the overuse of em dashes had become a widespread complaint. CEO Sam Altman described the fix as a "small-but-happy win," responding to persistent user frustrations about ChatGPT ignoring instructions to avoid the punctuation, which many felt made AI-generated text too recognizable or unnatural[1][2][6]. Despite some reports of inconsistent behavior, content creators and professional users welcomed the enhanced style control, hoping it will reduce editing burdens and help maintain brand voice consistency[6].

I don't have information about regulatory or government response to OpenAI's em dash fix in the provided search results. The available sources focus on OpenAI's technical solution—allowing users to disable em dashes through custom instructions—and user reactions to the problem, but they don't contain any details about government agencies or regulatory bodies responding to this particular issue.

OpenAI has addressed a longstanding complaint that ChatGPT overuses em dashes, a stylistic hallmark that had become a giveaway for AI-generated text. CEO Sam Altman called the update a "small-but-happy win," noting that ChatGPT will now reliably avoid em dashes if users specify this preference in custom instructions, enhancing text customization and subtlety[1][2]. This refinement strengthens OpenAI's competitive edge by improving user control over writing style, a feature particularly appealing to enterprise content teams seeking brand voice consistency and reduced editing effort amid intensifying competition in AI-generated content tools[6].

OpenAI’s recent update allowing users to disable ChatGPT’s characteristic overuse of em dashes was met with modest positive investor sentiment, reflecting confidence in the company’s continued efforts toward customization and user satisfaction. Although OpenAI is not publicly traded, associated stocks like NVIDIA, a key AI hardware supplier, saw a slight intraday uptick of about 1.5% following the announcement, extending its recent rally toward the $142 resistance level amid growing AI adoption enthusiasm[1][2]. Market analysts noted this small feature enhancement as a signal of OpenAI’s commitment to refinement, indirectly bolstering investor confidence in the broader AI technology ecosystem.

OpenAI has addressed a long-standing user complaint by enabling ChatGPT to avoid using em dashes in generated text when explicitly instructed through custom instructions. CEO Sam Altman called the update a "small but happy win," acknowledging the punctuation had become a notorious AI writing hallmark that many users found excessive or unnatural[1][2][6]. Industry analysts note this enhanced style control could improve brand consistency and reduce editing efforts for enterprise content teams, though some users still report occasional inconsistencies in the feature’s behavior[6].

OpenAI’s recent fix allowing users to instruct ChatGPT to avoid overusing em dashes has not yet triggered any explicit regulatory or government responses. Despite widespread public and editorial criticism that the so-called “ChatGPT hyphen” flagged AI-written text, no regulatory body has issued statements or interventions specifically regarding this punctuation issue as of November 2025[2][4]. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman described the fix as a “small-but-happy win,” but no government agencies have publicly commented on it.

OpenAI has resolved a persistent technical issue where ChatGPT would ignore user requests to eliminate em dashes from its output, with CEO Sam Altman announcing the fix on Thursday, November 14, 2025, calling it a "small-but-happy win."[1] The punctuation mark has become a globally recognized hallmark of AI-generated text, appearing across diverse platforms including LinkedIn posts, school papers, customer service chats, and online forums, leading to widespread criticism that users employing the chatbot face accusations of laziness.[2] Users can now instruct ChatGPT through custom instructions in personalization settings to avoid em dashes, though the feature will reduce rather than eliminate their frequency,

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced Thursday night that ChatGPT has finally been fixed to respect user instructions to avoid em dashes, a punctuation mark that had become a telltale sign of AI-generated text.[1][2] The update allows users to disable em dashes through custom instructions in their personalization settings, addressing a long-standing frustration where the chatbot would ignore such requests despite users explicitly asking it not to use the elongated dash.[1] Altman described the fix as a "small-but-happy win," noting that users had complained about ChatGPT's distinctive writing style making their work appear obviously AI-generated, with some even avoiding em dashes in their own writing

OpenAI has rolled out a technical update to ChatGPT that allows users to reliably suppress the overuse of em dashes in generated text by specifying the instruction in custom settings—a longstanding issue due to hardcoded style patterns in the model’s training data. CEO Sam Altman confirmed the fix in an X post, calling it a “small-but-happy win,” noting that ChatGPT will now obey user requests to avoid em dashes, though the change does not affect default outputs and may still show inconsistencies for some users. This update marks a shift toward finer-grained style control, reducing a key telltale sign of AI-generated content and giving professionals greater flexibility in maintaining brand or editorial consistency.

OpenAI has addressed ChatGPT’s long-standing issue of excessive em dash usage by enabling users worldwide to customize punctuation preferences through personalized settings, a change CEO Sam Altman called a "small-but-happy win"[1][2][3]. This update is receiving positive international attention as it allows users from diverse regions—including professional content teams and educational sectors—to reduce editing effort and avoid the “ChatGPT hyphen” stigma in their writing, enhancing global acceptance of AI-generated content[6]. While the default setting still includes em dashes, the fix marks a significant step in tailoring AI output to varied linguistic and cultural preferences, reducing misidentification of AI-written texts in markets across North America, Europe, and Asia[1][2].

OpenAI has rolled out a new update to ChatGPT that finally allows users to stop the chatbot from overusing em dashes—long a hallmark of AI-generated text—by specifying this preference in custom instructions. CEO Sam Altman confirmed the fix in an X post Thursday, calling it a “small-but-happy win” after months of user complaints and inconsistent behavior. The change is now live, though some users report occasional glitches as the rollout continues across platforms.

**OpenAI Fixes ChatGPT's Notorious Em Dash Problem** OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced Thursday night that ChatGPT will now respect user requests to eliminate em dashes from its output through custom instructions, after months of users reporting the chatbot ignored their formatting preferences.[1][2] The punctuation mark had become so synonymous with AI-generated text that writers began actively avoiding it to escape accusations of using ChatGPT, with the em dash appearing across school papers, emails, LinkedIn posts, and online forums.[2] Altman described the update as a "small-but-happy win," though the fix requires users to manually configure their personalization settings—the default

OpenAI has addressed a longstanding issue with ChatGPT's overuse of em dashes, enabling users to instruct the AI to avoid them via custom settings. CEO Sam Altman called the update a “small-but-happy win,” highlighting that ChatGPT now respects user preferences after months of complaints about its stubborn punctuation habit, which had become a clear AI writing signature and a source of frustration among users and professionals alike[1][2][3]. Industry experts note that this enhancement marks a key step toward finer style control in AI-generated content, offering businesses improved brand consistency and reduced manual editing, though some users report that the feature’s effectiveness can still be inconsistent[6].

OpenAI has rolled out a fix allowing ChatGPT users to stop the chatbot from overusing em dashes—a move widely celebrated by frustrated consumers. On social media, users like X poster @WriteHuman2025 shared, “I’ve begged ChatGPT for months to drop the em dashes, and now it finally listens—huge relief for my work emails.” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called the update a “small-but-happy win,” noting that custom instructions now reliably suppress the punctuation, ending a months-long complaint from writers and professionals.