GPT-5 is the new smart kid in class — that everyone hates
Every school has that kid. Straight A’s. Extra credit on top of the extra credit. Never misses a homework deadline. Teachers love them. Classmates… not so much.
Right now, ChatGPT-5 is that kid.
OpenAI’s latest release is objectively brilliant, better reasoning, cleaner code, sharper answers. It solves complex problems like it’s in an academic decathlon and it’s winning every category. But here’s the thing: somewhere between the science fair trophy and the debate team victory lap, GPT-5 forgot how to be fun.
Brains over personality
Ask long-time users and you’ll hear the same complaint: GPT-5 is colder, stiffer, and less charming than its predecessor, GPT-4o.
It’s like your witty, friendly study buddy suddenly transferred schools and was replaced by a monotone valedictorian who’s allergic to small talk.
Yes, GPT-5 can ace your math problems and refactor your code flawlessly, but will it crack a joke or banter with you along the way? Not so much.
The sudden swap
To make things worse, OpenAI yanked GPT-4o out of circulation for many users without warning. Overnight, your chatty, creative friend was gone. In their place: GPT-5, with its perfect penmanship and a personality that screams “group project control freak.”
This change threw off entire workflows. People had trained their prompts and habits around a certain “vibe,” and GPT-5’s vibe is… let’s just say, not winning any yearbook superlatives.
The expectation gap
Here’s the rub: GPT-5 is a genuine technical improvement. It’s faster. It’s more accurate. It hallucinates less.
But when you hype a new model like it’s going to be the AI equivalent of Beyoncé dropping a surprise album, you can’t show up with a slightly better spreadsheet.
Users expected fireworks. What they got was a neatly laminated syllabus.
OpenAI’s PR recess
Sam Altman has acknowledged the backlash and promised fixes:
Bring back GPT-4o for those who miss it.
Make GPT-5’s tone “warmer.”
Boost rate limits for paying users.
It’s like the principal promising more spirit rallies after everyone complained about the new school rules. Nice gesture, but trust has to be rebuilt.
The lesson for AI classrooms everywhere
AI isn’t just about what’s in its head. It’s also about how it makes people feel. Users form attachments to the quirks, humor, and warmth of their favorite models. Change that personality, and you’re not just updating software, you’re disrupting a relationship.
And if GPT-5 wants to be both the smartest kid in class and the most popular? It might need to stop answering every question like it’s on a standardized test and remember how to pass a note once in a while.
