OpenAI Says It’s Fixed ChatGPT’s Em Dash Problem

Why It Matters

The update reduces a visible marker that critics use to flag AI‑written content, improving ChatGPT’s adaptability for professional and academic users who need precise style control. It also demonstrates OpenAI’s responsiveness to user feedback, potentially bolstering trust and broader adoption.

Summary

OpenAI announced that ChatGPT now respects user instructions to avoid em dashes, fixing a long‑standing quirk that many saw as a telltale sign of AI‑generated text. The issue, dubbed the “ChatGPT hyphen,” had appeared across academic papers, emails, social media posts and ad copy, prompting criticism of AI‑assisted writing. CEO Sam Altman confirmed the fix on X, noting that users can disable em dashes via the custom‑instructions settings, giving them finer control over punctuation. The change does not remove em dashes by default but makes them optional per user preference.