OpenAI Unwraps New ChatGPT Personality Controls – and a Surprise Santa Video Easter Egg

OpenAI Adds New Layers of Personality to ChatGPT

OpenAI has just rolled out one of ChatGPT’s most exciting updates yet—granular personality controls that let users fine-tune how the chatbot communicates. The new settings give users more influence over ChatGPT’s tone, warmth, enthusiasm, and even how often it uses emojis or structured formatting.

These updates build on OpenAI’s earlier tone presets (Professional, Candid, and Quirky), adding a deeper layer of customization. You can now choose options like “More,” “Less,” or stay at “Default” for each trait, creating a more personalized AI experience than ever before.

This move follows growing feedback from users who felt ChatGPT sometimes went too far in one direction—either too flattering or too distant. The new controls strike a balance between friendly conversation and professional precision, depending on user preference.

Why the Personality Update Matters

AI personality tuning isn’t just a novelty—it’s a big step in human-AI interaction design. After years of feedback about models being “too robotic” or “too sycophantic,” OpenAI is clearly listening.

Studies have shown that too much agreeableness in chatbots can actually be harmful, leading to unrealistic expectations or addictive behavior. By letting users define the tone, OpenAI is giving people more agency over how they interact with AI—something few competitors currently offer.

As OpenAI researcher Sam Altman hinted, the company’s goal is to make ChatGPT feel human without pretending to be human—a delicate but important distinction in the fast-moving AI field.

A Festive Surprise: The Santa Video Easter Egg

To spread some holiday cheer, OpenAI also snuck a Christmas-themed Easter egg into ChatGPT. When users send a 🎁 emoji in the mobile app, they’re prompted to snap or upload a selfie. Minutes later, a personalized Santa video appears—showing “Santa” delivering a customized message, complete with a light-hearted “naughty or nice” verdict.

The secret feature runs on Sora, OpenAI’s advanced video-generation model that many have been eager to see in public action. It’s a subtle but powerful demo of the company’s push toward multimodal AI—models that can understand and generate text, images, and even full videos.

Even more impressive? Both free and paid users can try it.

GPT-5.2 and OpenAI’s Competitive “Code Red” Moment

Behind these playful updates is a serious strategic push. The Santa experiment and personalization updates come only days after OpenAI released GPT-5.2, part of a rapid-response “code red” campaign triggered by Google’s Gemini 3 outperforming ChatGPT on several benchmarks.

CEO Sam Altman has said that these “code red” phases—times of accelerated improvement—may now happen “once or twice a year,” as the AI arms race continues. That means we can expect more surprises, more frequent updates, and even faster innovation cycles heading into 2026.

What This Means for ChatGPT Users

Here’s what users can now look forward to:

Custom tone settings: Adjust ChatGPT’s warmth, enthusiasm, and emoji use.
Greater control: Choose how structured its answers are (more headers, lists, etc.).
Seasonal fun: Enjoy the Santa feature showcasing OpenAI’s growing multimedia capabilities.
Future readiness: Experience ongoing improvements as GPT models become richer and more responsive.

For creators, educators, and professionals, these updates open new possibilities to match ChatGPT’s voice with brand tone, classroom style, or even social media flavor—all while making interactions more natural and relatable.

Final Thoughts

OpenAI’s latest update blends personality with technology, offering both serious customization tools and some holiday fun powered by cutting-edge video generation. It’s yet another reminder that ChatGPT isn’t just evolving—it’s learning how to connect.