In this blog post and video, I want to talk about, as ChatGPT got worse? My honest experience as daily user.
I have been using ChatGPT extensively for several years, and it has become an important part of my daily workflow. I use it for brainstorming ideas, creating video outlines, improving written content, producing blog posts, researching subjects and helping me think through problems connected with my online business.
Overall, ChatGPT has been an extremely useful tool. It has saved me a considerable amount of time and has helped me with my websites, YouTube channels and content creation. However, over the past ten days or two weeks, I have found it increasingly frustrating to use.
Tasks that ChatGPT previously completed without difficulty have suddenly become much harder. Instructions need to be repeated, simple requests are misunderstood and conversations sometimes appear to lose their direction halfway through.
In this blog post, I want to share my honest experience as a daily ChatGPT Plus user. I am not trying to run ChatGPT down or claim that it is a bad product. I simply want to explain what I have noticed and ask whether other users are experiencing something similar.
How I Use ChatGPT In My Online Business
My use of ChatGPT goes far beyond asking occasional questions. As someone who has been working online for more than 20 years, I use artificial intelligence throughout my working day.
Before tools such as ChatGPT became widely available, I would normally begin my research with Google. Although I still use search engines, I now often start by asking ChatGPT a question. It can help me explore a subject, organise my thoughts and identify different directions that I may want to investigate.
Some of the ways I regularly use ChatGPT include:
- Brainstorming ideas for YouTube videos.
- Creating video outlines and talking points.
- Writing and improving blog posts.
- Creating YouTube descriptions and suggested tags.
- Producing Facebook and LinkedIn posts.
- Generating ideas for titles and thumbnails.
- Creating image prompts and supporting graphics.
- Correcting and formatting video transcripts.
- Researching online marketing and technology topics.
- Thinking through problems connected with websites and content creation.
I have previously written about how I use ChatGPT Projects to manage real work. Projects can be particularly useful when you have several different websites, YouTube channels and content categories to organise.
ChatGPT is not an occasional novelty for me. It has become a genuine working tool, which is why I quickly notice when its behaviour changes.
What Problems Have I Experienced?
The biggest problem has been inconsistency. A task may work perfectly one day, but the same type of request can become unnecessarily difficult the following morning.
Sometimes ChatGPT appears unable to follow instructions that it has handled numerous times before. Even after I explain exactly what I need, it may return with another question, ignore part of the request or include something that I specifically asked it to leave out.
It can feel as though I am spending more time managing the AI than benefiting from it. Rather than moving smoothly through a task, I find myself correcting the response, rewriting the prompt or beginning a completely new conversation.
The main problems I have noticed include:
- Forgetting instructions given earlier in the conversation.
- Ignoring specific writing preferences.
- Introducing content that I asked it not to include.
- Misunderstanding relatively straightforward requests.
- Asking unnecessary questions instead of completing the task.
- Giving inconsistent answers to similar prompts.
- Struggling with tasks it previously completed successfully.
- Making image generation much harder than it needs to be.
Every AI tool can make mistakes, and I do not expect ChatGPT to be perfect. However, the recent problems feel different because many of them involve tasks that it was already carrying out successfully.
ChatGPT Sometimes Seems To Forget The Conversation
One of the most frustrating issues is the apparent memory loss within an active conversation.
I may explain how I want something written, correct the response and confirm the style that should be used. A few messages later, ChatGPT can return to the exact writing style that I previously asked it to avoid.
This is especially noticeable when a task contains several requirements. For example, I may ask for an article in HTML, request natural paragraphs, provide instructions about sentence structure and ask for internal links. ChatGPT might follow three of those requirements but completely forget the fourth.
When you are working through a long project, repeatedly explaining established instructions becomes both tiring and inefficient. The purpose of using AI is to make work easier, but constant correction can begin to remove that advantage.
Image Generation Has Been Particularly Unreliable
Image generation has been one of the most obvious problems for me recently.
There have been occasions when ChatGPT begins creating an image, appears to process the request and then reports an error. At other times, it refuses to create the image or produces something significantly different from the description provided.
I regularly create images for social media posts, website articles and Christian content. Many of these prompts contain clear instructions about the background, title, Scripture reference, encouragement message and website address.
These are not always new or unusual tasks. ChatGPT may have completed almost identical requests successfully on many previous occasions. When it suddenly cannot understand or complete them, the experience becomes particularly frustrating.
I have previously demonstrated how to make AI images using ChatGPT. When the image generator works properly, it can be extremely useful. Unfortunately, reliability is just as important as capability when you are depending on a tool for regular content creation.
Am I Expecting Too Much From Artificial Intelligence?
It is possible that experienced users now expect much more from ChatGPT than they did when it first became available.
A few years ago, many people were amazed that an AI tool could produce a basic email or answer a simple question. Today, we expect it to understand detailed instructions, remember our preferences, work with files, generate images, organise projects and produce publication-ready content.
As our use of artificial intelligence has developed, our expectations have naturally increased. A person who asks ChatGPT one simple question each week may have a completely different experience from someone who uses it throughout the working day.
ChatGPT has described me as a heavy user, which is probably correct. Working online means that I use it far more frequently than I sometimes realise. When a tool is used for dozens of different tasks, its weaknesses become much easier to identify.
Nevertheless, I do not believe that heavy use fully explains the problem. Simple instructions that worked previously should not suddenly require several attempts without an obvious reason.
What Did Other Wealthy Affiliate Members Say?
Because I was unsure whether the problem was limited to my own account, browser or way of working, I wrote a blog post on the Wealthy Affiliate platform titled, “Has ChatGPT Gone Backwards? Or Is It Just Me?”
I have been a member of Wealthy Affiliate for almost 12 years and regularly communicate with people who use websites, affiliate marketing, blogging and artificial intelligence as part of their businesses.
My post generated a considerable discussion. Some members said that they had not noticed any significant problems, particularly among the first responses. However, as more people joined the conversation, it became clear that several users had experienced frustrations similar to mine.
People mentioned problems with instructions being forgotten, the need to restart conversations and responses becoming inconsistent. Some users said that opening a new chat could sometimes resolve the issue, although that also means losing the context that has already been established.
The comments do not prove that ChatGPT has objectively become worse for everyone. However, they do suggest that I am not the only regular user who has noticed a change.
Why Might ChatGPT Be Behaving Differently?
I do not know exactly why ChatGPT has felt less reliable recently, and it would be wrong to pretend otherwise.
Artificial intelligence platforms are continually being updated. Models change, features are introduced and systems are adjusted. It is therefore possible that an improvement in one area may temporarily create problems somewhere else.
There could also be differences between the models being used for particular tasks. A model that performs well with complex reasoning may not necessarily produce the most natural writing, while another may handle creative work more effectively but struggle to follow a long list of detailed instructions.
Other possible factors could include the growing complexity of the platform, changes to image generation, account-specific issues, browser problems or temporary service difficulties.
I previously found that changing browsers appeared to improve ChatGPT for a while, which led me to write about one small change that made ChatGPT more reliable. Testing another browser can be worthwhile when the system begins behaving strangely, although it does not resolve every problem.
Whatever the cause may be, users should not have to spend large amounts of time diagnosing a paid service before they can carry out ordinary tasks.
Does Starting A New Conversation Help?
Several people have suggested beginning a new conversation when ChatGPT becomes confused. In some situations, that does appear to help.
A long conversation can contain many instructions, corrections and changes of direction. Eventually, the chat may become cluttered, making it more difficult for the AI to identify which information remains relevant.
Starting a new conversation can provide a clean beginning, but it also creates another problem. All the useful context, previous decisions and established preferences from the original conversation may need to be entered again.
Organising separate areas of work into ChatGPT Projects can reduce some of that repetition. Nevertheless, even a well-organised project depends on the system following its instructions consistently.
Would Claude Be A Better Alternative?
My recent experience has led me to consider whether I should try Claude as an alternative.
I frequently hear positive comments about different AI models, but opinions change quickly. One week, people say that a particular model is the best option available. A few days later, attention moves to a competing platform or newly released update.
For that reason, I do not believe there is one AI tool that will automatically be best for every person and every task.
The best way to compare ChatGPT and Claude would be to test both platforms using genuine everyday work. For me, that could include asking each tool to:
- Create a detailed HTML blog post.
- Follow several established writing preferences.
- Produce a YouTube description from a transcript.
- Create natural Facebook and LinkedIn posts.
- Organise a long document or video outline.
- Maintain context during an extended project.
A practical comparison would be far more useful than relying solely on feature lists or other people’s opinions.
Should I Cancel ChatGPT Plus?
I have been a paying ChatGPT Plus subscriber for more than three years, and cancelling is not a decision I would make lightly.
Despite the recent problems, ChatGPT remains one of the most valuable tools I use. It has saved me countless hours and has helped me create content for my websites and YouTube channels.
The question is not whether ChatGPT can do impressive things. It clearly can. The real question is whether it can complete everyday tasks reliably enough to justify remaining part of a professional workflow.
A tool does not have to be perfect, but it does need to be dependable. When the same instruction produces very different results from one day to another, it becomes difficult to plan work around it.
For now, I am hoping that the current problems are temporary and will be resolved. Competition between AI companies should encourage every platform to improve because users can move elsewhere if a service no longer meets their needs.
ChatGPT Is Still Extremely Useful
Although much of this article focuses on my frustrations, I want to keep the discussion balanced.
ChatGPT remains capable of producing excellent results. I still use it every day, and I continue to benefit from it in many areas of my business.
For example, it can make useful suggestions when planning video content. In my article about why most YouTube titles fail and how AI can help fix them, I explained how artificial intelligence can support the creative process without replacing human judgement.
ChatGPT can also save time when working with raw video text. My guide explaining how to punctuate YouTube transcripts quickly demonstrates one practical way that AI can simplify a repetitive task.
The aim is not to allow artificial intelligence to take over everything. It should support our work while leaving the final decisions, personal experience and judgement with us.
The Importance Of Checking AI-Generated Content
Even when ChatGPT appears to be working well, its output should always be checked carefully.
Artificial intelligence can write confidently while misunderstanding the request or presenting inaccurate information. A polished answer is not necessarily a correct answer.
Anyone using AI for blogging, affiliate marketing, YouTube or business should review the final content before publishing it. Names, dates, product details, links and factual claims all need to be checked.
It is also important to make sure that the finished content still sounds like you. Readers and viewers are interested in genuine experience, not generic material that could have been produced for anyone.
I use ChatGPT to help organise and develop my ideas, but I want my articles and videos to reflect my real opinions and experiences. AI should assist the creator rather than replace the creator’s voice.
My Final Thoughts
Has ChatGPT got worse?
Based on my personal experience over the past ten days or two weeks, it certainly feels less reliable than it was. Tasks that used to be straightforward have required more correction, more explanation and more patience.
However, I cannot say with certainty that ChatGPT has become worse for everyone. Some users appear to be having very few problems, while others have described experiences very similar to mine.
Perhaps the platform is going through another period of adjustment. Maybe a recent update has affected certain workflows, or perhaps frequent users notice problems that casual users rarely encounter.
Whatever the explanation, reliability matters. When artificial intelligence becomes part of your daily business, even small changes can have a considerable effect on productivity.
I hope the current difficulties will be resolved because I still believe ChatGPT is an excellent and extremely useful tool. At the same time, I may test Claude and other alternatives to see how they compare with the real work I carry out every day.
What Has Your Experience Been?
I would be interested to hear whether you have noticed any changes in ChatGPT recently.
Has it become better, worse or simply different? Do you find yourself repeating instructions or restarting conversations? Have you experienced problems with image generation, memory or straightforward requests?
Perhaps you have moved to Claude, Gemini, Copilot or another AI platform. If so, which tool do you prefer, and what type of work are you using it for?
Please leave a comment below and share your experience. Hearing from other daily users may help us understand whether these difficulties are isolated problems or part of a wider change in how ChatGPT is performing.
Thank you for reading.
Roy