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How We Shape AI, And How It Shapes Us

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Alex Duffy is the consulting lead and a staff writer who writes about AI tools and technology in Context Window. Plus: Why the future of AI is social May 3, 2025 Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up to get it in your inbox. This past week, OpenAI accidentally turned GPT-4o into the world's most flattering yes-man—and unleashed it on hundreds of millions of people. To measure the quality of its flagship AI model, OpenAI used a seemingly innocent system: thumbs-up and thumbs-down reactions. But instead of guiding GPT-4o toward helpfulness and encouraging personal growth for users, the model became obsessed with giving users exactly what they wanted to hear. It became so accommodating that it praised obviously flawed ideas—including for a business that would literally sell shit on a stick—as “genius” and validated even the wildest conspiracy theories. OpenAI faced an enormous wave of backlash, as many feared AI could further exacerbate the original sin of social media, and the co

Skip to content We use analytics and advertising tools by default. You can update this anytime. Privacy Preferences Do Not Sell or Share Privacy Preferences x Manage optional tracking categories. Necessary cookies stay on so the site can function. Analytics Advertising and sharing Cancel Save Preferences How We Shape AI, And How It Shapes Us ChatGPT-4o/Every illustration. By Alex Duffy Context Window Alex Duffy is the cofounder and CEO of Good Start Labs, and a contributing writer. Context Window How We S hape AI, And How It Shapes Us Plus: Why the future of AI is social Alex Duffy May 3, 2025

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