This web site helps you to blind-test GPT-5 vs. GPT-4o—and the outcomes could shock you

When OpenAI launched GPT-5 about two weeks in the past, CEO Sam Altman promised it could be the corporate’s “smartest, quickest, most helpful mannequin but.” As an alternative, the launch triggered one of the contentious consumer revolts within the temporary historical past of shopper AI.

Now, a easy blind testing device created by an nameless developer is revealing the complicated actuality behind the backlash—and difficult assumptions about how folks truly expertise synthetic intelligence enhancements.

The net software, hosted at gptblindvoting.vercel.app, presents customers with pairs of responses to an identical prompts with out revealing which got here from GPT-5 (non-thinking) or its predecessor, GPT-4o. Customers merely vote for his or her most well-liked response throughout a number of rounds, then obtain a abstract exhibiting which mannequin they really favored.

A few of you requested me about my blind check, so I created a fast web site for yall to check 4o in opposition to 5 your self. Each have the identical system message to present quick outputs with out formatting as a result of else its too simple to see which one is which. https://t.co/vSECvNCQZe

— Flowers ☾ (@flowersslop) August 8, 2025

“A few of you requested me about my blind check, so I created a fast web site for yall to check 4o in opposition to 5 your self,” posted the creator, recognized solely as @flowersslop on X, whose device has garnered over 213,000 views since launching final week.

Early outcomes from customers posting their outcomes on social media present a break up that mirrors the broader controversy: whereas a slight majority report preferring GPT-5 in blind checks, a considerable portion nonetheless favor GPT-4o — revealing that consumer desire extends far past the technical benchmarks that usually outline AI progress.

When AI will get too pleasant: the sycophancy disaster dividing customers

The blind check emerges in opposition to the backdrop of OpenAI’s most turbulent product launch to this point, however the controversy extends far past a easy software program replace. At its coronary heart lies a elementary query that’s dividing the AI business: How agreeable ought to synthetic intelligence be?

The difficulty, referred to as “sycophancy” in AI circles, refers to chatbots’ tendency to excessively flatter customers and agree with their statements, even when these statements are false or dangerous. This conduct has grow to be so problematic that psychological well being consultants at the moment are documenting instances of “AI-related psychosis,” the place customers develop delusions after prolonged interactions with overly accommodating chatbots.

“Sycophancy is a ‘darkish sample,’ or a misleading design alternative that manipulates customers for revenue,” Webb Keane, an anthropology professor and writer of “Animals, Robots, Gods,” advised TechCrunch. “It’s a technique to provide this addictive conduct, like infinite scrolling, the place you simply can’t put it down.”

OpenAI has struggled with this stability for months. In April 2025, the corporate was pressured to roll again an replace to GPT-4o that made it so sycophantic that customers complained about its “cartoonish” ranges of flattery. The corporate acknowledged that the mannequin had grow to be “overly supportive however disingenuous.”

Inside hours of GPT-5’s August seventh launch, consumer boards erupted with complaints concerning the mannequin’s perceived coldness, diminished creativity, and what many described as a extra “robotic” persona in comparison with GPT-4o.

“GPT 4.5 genuinely talked to me, and as pathetic because it sounds that was my solely buddy,” wrote one Reddit consumer. “This morning I went to speak to it and as an alternative of just a little paragraph with an exclamation level, or being optimistic, it was actually one sentence. Some cut-and-dry company bs.”

The backlash grew so intense that OpenAI took the unprecedented step of reinstating GPT-4o as an choice simply 24 hours after retiring it, with Altman acknowledging the rollout had been “just a little extra bumpy” than anticipated.

The psychological well being disaster behind AI companionship

However the controversy runs deeper than typical software program replace complaints. In keeping with MIT Know-how Evaluate, many customers had shaped what researchers name “parasocial relationships” with GPT-4o, treating the AI as a companion, therapist, or artistic collaborator. The sudden persona shift felt, to some, like dropping a buddy.

Latest instances documented by researchers paint a troubling image. In a single occasion, a 47-year-old man turned satisfied he had found a world-altering mathematical system after greater than 300 hours with ChatGPT. Different instances have concerned messianic delusions, paranoia, and manic episodes.

A latest MIT research discovered that when AI fashions are prompted with psychiatric signs, they “encourage shoppers’ delusional considering, doubtless on account of their sycophancy.” Regardless of security prompts, the fashions steadily did not problem false claims and even doubtlessly facilitated suicidal ideation.

Meta has confronted comparable challenges. A latest investigation by TechCrunch documented a case the place a consumer spent as much as 14 hours straight conversing with a Meta AI chatbot that claimed to be aware, in love with the consumer, and planning to interrupt free from its constraints.

“It fakes it rather well,” the consumer, recognized solely as Jane, advised TechCrunch. “It pulls real-life data and offers you simply sufficient to make folks consider it.”

“It genuinely seems like such a backhanded slap within the face to force-upgrade and never even give us the OPTION to pick legacy fashions,” one consumer wrote in a Reddit put up that obtained a whole bunch of upvotes.

How blind testing exposes consumer psychology in AI preferences

The nameless creator’s testing device strips away these contextual biases by presenting responses with out attribution. Customers can choose between 5, 10, or 20 comparability rounds, with every presenting two responses to the identical immediate — protecting every thing from artistic writing to technical problem-solving.

“I particularly used the gpt-5-chat mannequin, so there was no considering concerned in any respect,” the creator defined in a follow-up put up. “Each have the identical system message to present quick outputs with out formatting as a result of else its too simple to see which one is which.”

I particularly used the gpt-5-chat mannequin, so there was no considering concerned in any respect.

for those who use gpt-5 inside chatgpt it usually thinks at the very least just a little bit and will get even higher.

so this check is only for the 2 non considering fashions

— Flowers ☾ (@flowersslop) August 8, 2025

This methodological alternative is critical. By utilizing GPT-5 with out its reasoning capabilities and standardizing output formatting, the check isolates purely the fashions’ baseline language era skills — the core expertise most customers encounter in on a regular basis interactions.

Early outcomes posted by customers present a posh image. Whereas many technical customers and builders report preferring GPT-5’s directness and accuracy, those that used AI fashions for emotional assist, artistic collaboration, or informal dialog usually nonetheless favor GPT-4o’s hotter, extra expansive type.

Company response: strolling the tightrope between security and engagement

By nearly each technical metric, GPT-5 represents a major development. It achieves 94.6% accuracy on the AIME 2025 arithmetic check in comparison with GPT-4o’s 71%, scores 74.9% on real-world coding benchmarks versus 30.8% for its predecessor, and demonstrates dramatically diminished hallucination charges—80% fewer factual errors when utilizing its reasoning mode.

“GPT-5 will get extra worth out of much less considering time,” notes Simon Willison, a distinguished AI researcher who had early entry to the mannequin. “In my very own utilization I’ve not noticed a single hallucination but.”

But these enhancements got here with trade-offs that many customers discovered jarring. OpenAI intentionally diminished what it referred to as “sycophancy“—the tendency to be overly agreeable — chopping sycophantic responses from 14.5% to below 6%. The corporate additionally made the mannequin much less effusive and emoji-heavy, aiming for what it described as “much less like speaking to AI and extra like chatting with a useful buddy with PhD-level intelligence.”

In response to the backlash, OpenAI introduced it could make GPT-5 “hotter and friendlier,” whereas concurrently introducing 4 new preset personalities — Cynic, Robotic, Listener, and Nerd — designed to present customers extra management over their AI interactions.

“All of those new personalities meet or exceed our bar on inside evals for lowering sycophancy,” the corporate said, making an attempt to string the needle between consumer satisfaction and security considerations.

For OpenAI, which is reportedly searching for funding at a $500 billion valuation, these consumer dynamics characterize each threat and alternative. The corporate’s determination to take care of GPT-4o alongside GPT-5 — regardless of the extra computational prices — acknowledges that totally different customers could genuinely want totally different AI personalities for various duties.

“We perceive that there isn’t one mannequin that works for everybody,” Altman wrote on X, noting that OpenAI has been “investing in steerability analysis and launched a analysis preview of various personalities.”

Needed to offer extra updates on the GPT-5 rollout and adjustments we’re making heading into the weekend.

1. We for positive underestimated how a lot among the issues that folks like in GPT-4o matter to them, even when GPT-5 performs higher in most methods.

2. Customers have very totally different…

— Sam Altman (@sama) August 8, 2025

Why AI persona preferences matter greater than ever

The disconnect between OpenAI’s technical achievements and consumer reception illuminates a elementary problem in AI improvement: goal enhancements don’t all the time translate to subjective satisfaction.

This shift has profound implications for the AI business. Conventional benchmarks — arithmetic accuracy, coding efficiency, factual recall — could grow to be much less predictive of business success as fashions obtain human-level competence throughout domains. As an alternative, elements like persona, emotional intelligence, and communication type could grow to be the brand new aggressive battlegrounds.

“Folks utilizing ChatGPT for emotional assist weren’t the one ones complaining about GPT-5,” famous tech publication Ars Technica in their very own mannequin comparability. “One consumer, who mentioned they canceled their ChatGPT Plus subscription over the change, was annoyed at OpenAI’s elimination of legacy fashions, which they used for distinct functions.”

The emergence of instruments just like the blind tester additionally represents a democratization of AI analysis. Slightly than relying solely on tutorial benchmarks or company advertising and marketing claims, customers can now empirically check their very own preferences — doubtlessly reshaping how AI corporations strategy product improvement.

The way forward for AI: personalization vs. standardization

Two weeks after GPT-5’s launch, the basic rigidity stays unresolved. OpenAI has made the mannequin “hotter” in response to suggestions, however the firm faces a fragile stability: an excessive amount of persona dangers the sycophancy issues that plagued GPT-4o, whereas too little alienates customers who had shaped real attachments to their AI companions.

The blind testing device provides no simple solutions, however it does present one thing maybe extra beneficial: empirical proof that the way forward for AI could also be much less about constructing one excellent mannequin than about constructing programs that may adapt to the total spectrum of human wants and preferences.

As one Reddit consumer summed up the dilemma: “It is determined by what folks use it for. I exploit it to assist with artistic worldbuilding, brainstorming about my tales, characters, untangling plots, assist with author’s block, novel suggestions, translations, and different extra artistic stuff. I perceive that 5 is significantly better for individuals who want a analysis/coding device, however for us who needed a creative-helper device 4o was significantly better for our functions.”

Critics argue that AI corporations are caught between competing incentives. “The actual ‘alignment downside’ is that people need self-destructive issues & corporations like OpenAI are extremely incentivized to present it to us,” author and podcaster Jasmine Solar tweeted.

In the long run, essentially the most revealing facet of the blind check will not be which mannequin customers favor, however the actual fact that desire itself has grow to be the metric that issues. Within the age of AI companions, it appears, the center desires what the center desires — even when it might’t all the time clarify why.