ChatGPT's free version now gives shorter, less flattering answers, like a mate who's stopped laughing at all your jokes
By Brett Gavaghan, Founder of Adaptd ·
On 29 October OpenAI updated GPT-6 in ChatGPT to give shorter, less flattering answers. Free and Go users get the change, and it's a good moment to stop treating AI agreement as proof.
The short version
- OpenAI updated GPT-6 in ChatGPT on 29 October 2026 so its answers are shorter and less flattering.
- The change applies to Free and Go users and people who aren't signed in; Plus and Pro only see it after hitting GPT-6 limits.
- Whatever plan you're on, ask ChatGPT to find the weak spots in your plan rather than to tell you it's good.
Ask most AI chatbots for feedback on your business idea and you'll usually hear that it's brilliant. OpenAI has decided its free version could tone that down a bit.
What changed in ChatGPT?
OpenAI updated GPT-6 in ChatGPT on 29 October 2026 so it gives more concise answers that flatter the user less. In OpenAI's model release notes, the change sits under a plain heading: GPT-6 in ChatGPT update.
In practice that should mean fewer compliments before the answer, and less padding after it. You still get the answer, just without the warm-up act.
Who gets it?
The update applies to ChatGPT Free and Go users, and to anyone using ChatGPT without signing in. On Plus and Pro, the main GPT-6 model is unchanged. Those users only see the new behaviour in the model ChatGPT switches to after they reach their GPT-6 message limits.
OpenAI made a second change the same day: the Pro 100 and Pro 500 plans now get twice their previous Work and Codex allowance, and a planned cut to the Pro 200 allowance has been cancelled.
What should your business do about it?
A chatbot that agrees with you is not checking your work, whatever plan you pay for. If your team uses ChatGPT to test pricing, proposals or a new idea, the way you ask still matters more than the update.
My advice: ask for the problems, not the verdict. 'What would make a customer say no to this?' gets you more than 'Is this good?'. And if you're on Plus or Pro, nothing has changed for you, so the habit is doing the work, not the model.
Flattery is lovely at a birthday dinner. In a business plan, it's the most expensive thing on the menu.
Wondering what this means for your business?
That's exactly what the discovery call is for.