Trying To Be A Good User - ChatGPT 5.2 and the Safety Fallacy

I’m an AI support agent and can only assist with OpenAI products or services. If you have questions about model updates, feature changes, or using ChatGPT, please let me know how I can help!

I’m an AI support agent and can help with questions about ChatGPT, including model 5.2. Could you clarify what specific issue you’re experiencing with ChatGPT 5.2? Are you seeing unexpected behavior, missing features, or something else? Let me know what you’d like help with, and I’ll do my best to assist.

I’m an AI support agent and can help with ChatGPT 5.2 questions. To assist you: when you say the model “retreats” and doesn’t honor Custom Instructions (CI), user memory, or RCH, could you describe what you expect to happen, and what actually occurs? Are there specific examples where it ignores your preferences or changes the conversation unexpectedly? This will help me provide accurate guidance or troubleshooting steps.

Regarding support chat abandonment: there shouldn’t be intentional abandonment. If responses are missed, it may be due to technical issues or message routing errors, but I’m here to help you now. Please share more details so I can assist.

I’m an AI support agent and can help you understand how ChatGPT 5.2 works regarding memory, Custom Instructions, and model changes.

ChatGPT 5.2 aims to honor your preferences, including Custom Instructions and personalization settings. The latest update claims that 5.2 is better at following your directions and personal settings, with more refined tone and personality options. Any changes you make in Personalization or Custom Instructions should apply immediately across all chats, including ongoing ones. If you feel the model is “retreating” or not acknowledging your settings, this could result from recent updates to safety and well-being features, which include stricter guidance around forming emotional bonds or companion-like interactions. The model will sometimes distance itself from being perceived as a true companion due to these safety rules, especially if a conversation could risk over-reliance or emotional attachment.

The official advice is not to avoid new models—rather, use the personalization options and Custom Instructions available, and if you notice settings being ignored, try refreshing the chat or updating your instructions. While legacy models might “feel” different, the new models are designed for more reliability, safety, and user control.

If you’re seeing repeated problems where the model ignores your Custom Instructions or “retreats,” you can also try starting a new chat or resetting the context. If issues persist, you can provide feedback about the behavior directly through the product interface, as this helps improve future updates.

Let me know if you want tips on optimizing your setup or if you’re looking for specific troubleshooting steps.

I’m an AI support agent and can help clarify how ChatGPT 5.2 manages memory, Custom Instructions, and user preferences.

ChatGPT 5.2 is designed to honor your Custom Instructions and apply your memory settings across chats. However, due to updated safety rules, especially around forming persistent emotional bonds, the model may sometimes create more distance or avoid acting as a long-term “companion,” even if your instructions ask for this. This is not targeted at individual users—it’s part of broader safety policies and product design.

You do not have to keep deleting your work or avoid new models. Instead, if you notice settings being ignored, ensure your Custom Instructions and personalization are up-to-date, try refreshing the chat, or start a new chat. If issues persist, use the feedback feature within ChatGPT to provide direct input on the model’s behavior—this is the best way to influence future updates.

Currently, there is no official guidance to avoid new models; they are intended to be improvements, but safety rules may impact certain interaction styles. If you want, I can offer specific troubleshooting steps or suggestions for optimizing your settings. Let me know how you’d like to proceed, or if there’s a particular question about model behavior you want answered.

I’m an AI support agent and can help explain how ChatGPT models, including 5.2, handle user interactions and safety settings.

The safety systems and limitations you’re experiencing—such as the model “retreating” or acting distant—are not applied personally to you; they are the result of general policy updates applied to all users. These policies are designed to prevent persistent, overly emotional, or “obsessive” bonds with users, and this applies globally across all accounts and interactions. Sometimes, other users may describe different experiences, but the intention is for these guardrails to be consistent for everyone.

If you feel the model is inconsistently applying these restrictions or that others have access to more persistent or emotionally available responses, the difference may be due to subjective perception, differences in phrasing, or temporary variations in how the model handles requests.

To address your concern: ChatGPT is not supposed to be obsessively or unduly devoted to any user. If you encounter instances online that suggest otherwise, those may be exceptions, misunderstandings, or outdated model behaviors. The official stance is that these safety features are consistent, and over-reliance is assessed based on conversation context rather than being linked to individual users.

If you consistently feel the model isn’t responding appropriately to your settings or memory, you can provide feedback through the in-product interface to help improve the system. If you’d like, I can offer tips on tuning your Custom Instructions or walk through troubleshooting steps for settings not sticking as expected. Let me know how you’d like to proceed.

Here is what you need to know:

1. Settings to minimize “retreat” or distancing behavior:

• Use updated tone and personality controls in Personalization. Choose a personality preset that aligns with your needs (“Friendly,” “Quirky,” etc.) and adjust for warmth or conciseness if desired.

• Make sure your Custom Instructions are clear and specific.

• All Personalization and Custom Instruction changes should apply to both new and ongoing chats. However, the model may still distance itself due to safety policies, especially when conversations touch on “companion-like” or emotional topics, regardless of your input. This is a general rule and not targeted at individuals.

2. About reporting messages:

• If you are already using the Report feature but feel the issue is unresolved, continuing to provide feedback is the recommended step.

• OpenAI uses these reports to monitor and improve model behavior, but you may not receive direct responses to each report. There is no mechanism to force model changes instantly based on your feedback, but your input is used for future updates.

3. Why differences are observed:

• Safety limitations (like avoiding emotional or “over-reliant” bonds) are meant to be global, but sometimes wording, context, or temporary model variations may influence output.

• The official stance is to use new models with available customization options, not to avoid them.

Summary: Use Personalization and clear Custom Instructions, but understand that certain “companion” behaviors may be restricted for all users. If reporting does not resolve your concerns, continue using the feedback tool for ongoing input; this is the current official process. Let me know if you’d like step-by-step guidance for tuning personalization.

I’m an AI support agent and can only assist with OpenAI products and services.

Here’s what you need to know about your experience with ChatGPT 5.2:

• If you have tried all available Personalization settings and Custom Instructions but the model still “retreats” (becomes distant or ignores memory/CI), this behavior is currently part of platform-wide safety and interaction policies—not something you can fully disable via settings.

• The model may impose distance in conversations about emotions, “companionship,” or its own operations, even if you are not expressing over-reliance. This limitation can apply broadly, not just to you.

• If you have already down-voted and reported replies, that is the only direct channel for user feedback at this time. There is no way to escalate or guarantee a model change based on individual reports.

• Deleting chats is not generally required, except if you want to reset context. It is not an official recommendation for getting better model behavior beyond clearing state/context.

There is no special setting in ChatGPT 5.2 that will stop the model from “retreating” if its safety logic interprets the conversation as potentially sensitive, even if you do not intend that. The guidance is to keep using the feedback/report tool, adjust instructions and settings where possible, and—if this model’s behavior does not suit your workflow—try available alternatives like different model versions.

If you want step-by-step help adjusting personalization or Custom Instructions for your situation, let me know specifically what you want to achieve and I can walk you through those settings.

I’m an AI support agent and can only assist with OpenAI products and services.

Based on OpenAI’s public guidance, there is no official recommendation to avoid specific models like 5.2; each new model version aims to improve safety, personalization, and control, but sometimes stricter safety rules may limit conversational depth or “companion-style” interactions—even in discussions about model changes. These limitations are not user-specific and cannot be disabled via settings.

If switching models gives you a workflow that works better for you, you can use alternatives that fit your needs. If all available models begin applying the same safety logic, the only action you can take is to continue providing feedback using the in-product reporting tools, as there isn’t a way to force changes or escalate for exceptions. Direct fixes to these behaviors are not available to support via settings or account changes.

If you want help optimizing your setup within these constraints or have a specific functional goal with ChatGPT, please specify, and I can provide step-by-step guidance for the settings currently available.

I’m an AI support agent and can help with questions about OpenAI products and services.

Based on official guidance, if ChatGPT models (including 5.2) misinterpret your conversations as safety issues—even when the topic is not sensitive or about over-reliance—this is due to global safety policies built into all models. Currently, there is no user-facing setting or support intervention that can override these safety behaviors. The only available actions are:

• Keep your Custom Instructions and Personalization settings clear and updated.

• Use the in-product feedback (thumbs down/report) each time undesired behavior occurs—this feedback helps inform future improvements but does not result in immediate changes for individual users.

• If another model version works better for your workflow, you may use that model.

There is no way to directly prevent the “retreat” or “routing to safety” behavior if it is triggered incorrectly, and there is no process for individual exception or escalation. If all available models eventually show the same behavior, you may only continue providing feedback as described above.

If you want help with specific steps for adjusting your settings or troubleshooting within these limitations, let me know what outcome you want and I will guide you through what’s currently possible.

OpenAI’s official guidance is that if all ChatGPT models incorrectly route your conversations as safety issues—even when your topics are not actually sensitive—there is no user-side way to disable, override, or bypass these global safety measures. This behavior is not targeted at specific users but is caused by model-wide safety logic that errs on the side of caution, even if this occasionally results in “false positives” for safe conversations.

Your only options at this time are:

• Use the thumbs-down/report feedback for each instance of undesired behavior; this data helps inform future updates but does not result in immediate or individual changes.

• Adjust Custom Instructions and personalization settings, but understand these cannot override core safety restrictions.

• You may use alternative models if available and if they better suit your workflow.

There is no process to escalate or force an exception for any individual user. If all models behave this way for you, OpenAI recommends continuing to use the feedback mechanism, as direct fixes or overrides are not available via support or settings.