OpenAI has addressed what it jokingly refers to as the Goblin Problem, a curious phase in its recent AI development where ChatGPT appeared to lean unusually heavily on references to fictional creatures such as goblins, trolls and other fantasy-style metaphors. In a technical post described as an internal autopsy of the issue, the company explained how certain personality design choices, combined with reinforcement learning signals, contributed to the unintended pattern. A spike in creature-themed language While a stray "little goblin" reference might seem charming, the data suggested something more persistent. Following the launch of GPT-5.1 , OpenAI tracked a massive spike in creature-related metaphors: Goblin usage: Up 175% Gremlin" usage: Up 52% After moving beyond playful analogies, it has gradually developed into a more consistent stylistic habit across outputs.…