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

BBC News · Apr 30, 2026, 1:28 PM · Also reported by 4 other sources

Key takeaways

  • 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.

Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.

Liv Mc Mahon Technology reporter Getty Images The Chat GPT developer discovered the "strange affinity for goblins" while testing tools powered by newer systems, such as its coding agent Codex Chat GPT-maker Open AI 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.

Article preview — originally published by BBC News. Full story at the source.
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