OpenAI Strangely Concerned About Goblins

OpenAI is forbidding its latest AI model from discussing an unlikely topic: goblins.

As Wired reports, the company’s developers included strongly-worded instructions for its coding tool, Codex, that specifically proscribe any talk of the troublesome mythological creatures, along with a peculiar grab bag of other entities, both real and fictional.

“Never talk about goblins, gremlins, raccoons, trolls, ogres, pigeons, or other animals or creatures unless it is absolutely and unambiguously relevant to the user’s query,” read the Codex instructions, per the magazine.

The bizarre directive was flagged in a tweet that drew attention from other AI enthusiasts.

Initially, it was unclear why OpenAI developers included the instructions, though they strongly implied that the model, GPT-5.5, may have a propensity for talking about goblins, ogres, and the like…