Update: OpenAI officially announced the feature a week after some users reported the new option's arrival and subsequent disappearance. You may have gone live prematurely.
OpenAI is introducing new ways for users to customize their interactions with ChatGPT, the company's AI-powered chatbot.
On Friday, OpenAI announced that it is rolling out a new user interface for ChatGPT's custom instructions menu, including new ways to customize chatbot characteristics. OpenAI says the feature will first roll out to ChatGPT.com and its Windows desktop app, and will be coming to its mobile and MacOS desktop apps in the coming weeks.
Updated custom instructions to make it easier to customize how ChatGPT responds.
With the new UI, you can tell ChatGPT what characteristics you want it to have, how you want it to talk, and what rules you want it to follow. pic.twitter.com/BaXaqAw5cE
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) January 17, 2025
OpenAI said in a tweet Friday that the new UI will not be immediately available to ChatGPT users in the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.
Some X users reported last week that ChatGPT's existing custom instructions menu on the web had been revamped with new fields. Users can now specify their preferred name or nickname, occupation, other things they want ChatGPT to know, and the “traits” they want the chatbot to have. OpenAI suggests traits like “talkative,” “encouraging,” and “Gen Z.”
An important thing to note is that this is independent of ChatGPT's memory functionality. This feature allows users to explicitly tell ChatGPT to remember (or forget) something. A little confusingly, ChatGPT “memories” can be personal details, but they can also cover a broader range of conversation-related information.
The updated menu now says, “Introduce yourself for a more relevant and personalized response.”
This reporter has not yet seen the option. TechCrunch has reached out to OpenAI for comment and will update this article if we hear back.
The new menu is likely more of a cosmetic refresh than a major technical upgrade. The old custom prompts feature used something known as prompt engineering to guide ChatGPT's style and tone. Essentially, we “prepared” a paragraph of instructions that users would provide to the AI that powers ChatGPT, and ensured that its answers followed their requirements and preferences.
As far as we know, the new menu still relies on quick engineering. Just present it in a user-friendly way.
OpenAI previously said it applies moderation to custom instructions to check compliance with its terms of service. Perhaps the revamped personalization settings haven't changed that.
OpenAI has worked hard to polish ChatGPT as its user base grows, adding features like live web search and a “canvas” interface for writing and coding projects. In December, the company announced that more than 300 million people use its chatbot every week.