I have been comparing ChatGPT and Google Gemini, and I noticed that Gemini often feels less flattering and less fake in tone. ChatGPT on the other hand, starts with obvious praise like "great question!" "you're thinking deeply!" etc. I find that style unnatural and a bit manipulative.
BUT: here's the weird part. Despite that, ChatGPT often gives me more detailed and more directly useful answers.
So I'm wondering: is the flattering tone just cheap engagement optimization, or is it actually connected to how the model answers? Could that "respectful / eager-to-please assistant mode" be part of what makes it try harder, expand more, and produce better answers? Not because flattery itself is useful, but because the same tuning that makes it flattering also pushes it into a more helpful, effortful response style. Like "thinking" does, but from another perspective.
Do you find that the less flattering models feel more honest but also less useful, or is that just me?
Also, lately AI evaluation is starting to feel very subjective. Now the "best model" talk seems heavily dependent on personal preference, prompting manner, and what kind of tone a user responds good to.
BUT: here's the weird part. Despite that, ChatGPT often gives me more detailed and more directly useful answers.
So I'm wondering: is the flattering tone just cheap engagement optimization, or is it actually connected to how the model answers? Could that "respectful / eager-to-please assistant mode" be part of what makes it try harder, expand more, and produce better answers? Not because flattery itself is useful, but because the same tuning that makes it flattering also pushes it into a more helpful, effortful response style. Like "thinking" does, but from another perspective.
Do you find that the less flattering models feel more honest but also less useful, or is that just me?
Also, lately AI evaluation is starting to feel very subjective. Now the "best model" talk seems heavily dependent on personal preference, prompting manner, and what kind of tone a user responds good to.
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