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Model Behavior: The Science of AI Style
OpenAIยท 2025-10-08 17:01
Model Style Definition & Importance - Model style encompasses values (what models should/shouldn't do), traits (curiosity, warmth, conciseness), and flare (emojis, m-dashes), which together form demeanor [8] - Style matters because it shapes user experience, influencing how people perceive and trust the model, shifting usage from simple search to collaboration [9][10][11] Model Style Development - Model style is primarily set by pre-training (corpus defining knowledge and voice), refined by fine-tuning (adding tone, guardrails), and shaped by user prompts and app settings [12][13][16] - User prompts significantly influence model response style, with personalization features like memory further tailoring the style over time [14][15] Challenges & Considerations - Consistency in style is a major challenge because large language models approximate patterns rather than execute rules, making alignment difficult [27][28][31] - The company balances maximizing user autonomy and freedom with minimizing harm, setting default behaviors that users and developers can override within safety policies [23][24][25] - There is no single style that works for all users; the company aims to provide choice and flexibility for models to adapt to different contexts and needs [26][27] Future Directions - The company is focused on steerability, aiming to improve how well models follow customization requests for managing traits and flare [34][35] - The company aims to improve contextual awareness, enabling models to shift tone appropriately based on the user's context [36] - The company prioritizes AI literacy and accessibility, striving to make style management simple and intuitive for all users [37]