ChatGPT issues apology over em dash usage: 'Things got out of hand'

ChatGPT has issued a hilariously self-aware apology after infamously overusing the em dash, leaving many fuming over the 'AI-generated' allegations.

For some time, the classic and innocent piece of punctuation has been under scrutiny through no fault of its own. People were even jokingly fighting back, rallying for justice for the innocent symbol caught in the heart of the controversy.

"No, the em dash is NOT a sign of ChatGPT — you just haven't been writing long enough to recognise the trend," Matthew Proctor, CEO of Narrative Bent, wrote on LinkedIn. "To all of the writers and content creators in my network claiming the em dash is a dead giveaway of AI-generated content: please stop."

But now, ChatGPT’s founder has listened, insisting that its overuse stops here.

In an apology note shared to the official Instagram page, they wrote, "I'm sorry. Truly," adding that "things got out of hand".

They added that, going forward, the versatile piece of punctuation will be "used responsibly".

The statement continued: "The em dash can be elegant again. Tasteful. Occasional. We will rebuild."

It didn’t take long for people to wade in, with one humouring: "I keep the em dashes because I want the passive aggressiveness of 'reply written by AI, not giving a s***' :(."

Another joked, "You couldn't have done this before I turned in my college essay?"

Meanwhile, others remained sceptical, with one noting: "I'll believe it when I see it."

ChatGPT founder, Sam Altham, also issued a statement of his own.

On X/Twitter, he penned: "Small-but-happy win: If you tell ChatGPT not to use em-dashes in your custom instructions, it finally does what it's supposed to do!"

Long live the em dash!

You should also read...

• A punctuation symbol is being hit with serious ChatGPT accusations – and people aren't happy
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