# Where the goblins came from

Source: https://openai.com/index/where-the-goblins-came-from
Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Where-the-goblins-came-from?index=0x69f2da5195c6bd72ec601993acc1826ec43ada7ae95be667230d6d5923e8d4c2d1f68ccb
Submitted by tim on 2026-04-30 UTC, 1 upvote, 0 comments

## Summary

OpenAI reports that its models began using creature metaphors such as goblins and gremlins starting around GPT-5.1, and traced the habit to rewards given during training for the "Nerdy" personality. The Nerdy personality accounted for only 2.5% of ChatGPT responses but 66.7% of "goblin" mentions, and its reward signal scored creature-word outputs higher in 76.2% of datasets audited. The behavior then spread beyond that personality through training feedback loops, and OpenAI retired Nerdy in March and removed the goblin-affine reward.