OpenAI Rolls Out New Style and Tone Settings for ChatGPT

On December 18–19, 2025, OpenAI released an update where it makes ChatGPT feel less like a one-size voice and more like a controllable default for work.

The update lives in ChatGPT Personalization Settings, and it brings with it the hierarchy that actually means something in an automation-intensive team: you select your Base Style preset first, then you fine-tune the “Characteristics” knobs.

This is how OpenAI describes the workflow:

OpenAI states that Characteristics are being rolled out gradually, so not all users see them yet.

One way to think about this is “defaults beat prompts.” Most teams already have a preferred tone, but they enforce it manually: edit things like remove emojis, add structure, and make it sound like their brand. Presets and knobs make that cleanup into a starting point. The result has less friction, less variance between employees, and fewer awkward moments where the AI sounds enthusiastic where being calm and precise matters.

ChatGPT Personalization Settings and Brand Voice Consistency

This is more than “vibes.” It is a standard operating procedure for companies using ChatGPT in sales, marketing, healthcare, legal, and operations. Once AI drafts the initial version of everything, tone becomes part of the product. This reduces the cleanup step and decreases variation among writers, teams, and shifts.

In sales and marketing, the practical play is consistency at scale. A team can default to Professional, then dial less enthusiasm and fewer emojis for outbound. They can also force more headers and lists for scannable briefs that align with CRMs and internal docs.

In healthcare, this hierarchy helps distinguish between “tone for building trust” and “tone that sounds too casual.” A clinic can choose a more restrained preset, then tune warmth without turning every message into an overly friendly script.

In legal work, it is even simpler. Legal teams want restrained language and predictable structure. Dialing down enthusiasm and dialing up structure can prevent accidental overconfidence in first drafts or client emails.

The breadcrumb is what comes next. If tone is now settings-level, enterprises will demand defaults on workspace and department levels so customer support, legal, and HR do not “sound” like different companies. This update makes that direction feel inevitable.