OpenAI's ChatGPT has started referring to users by their name without being asked, and some users, unsurprisingly, are finding it off-putting.

According to screencaps posted by one software developer on X, first spotted by TechCrunch, ChatGPT used his real first name when asked about a math problem involving integers.

The user called it “creepy and unnecessary.”

Another user took things one step further, calling it “insanely creepy,” adding, “I hate it.”

Some users also noted that ChatGPT was using their name, despite not recalling ever giving ChatGPT that information.

Granted, it appears the quirk only impacts certain GPT variations like OpenAI o3, which are trained to “think longer before responding” and show their chain of thought after you ask a question. The “creepy” naming only appears on the screen when ChatGPT is showing its chain of thought, and not in the official answer.

OpenAI has not yet released a statement about the quirk, so the true cause is unknown at the time of writing.

However, TechCrunch noted that these complaints surfaced shortly after OpenAI rolled out a new feature earlier this month that enabled the chatbot to draw from previous conversations it had with users when formulating its answers. After announcing the feature, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said AI systems will "get to know you over your life, and become extremely useful and personalized."