In a festive surprise for users, OpenAI's chief executive Sam Altman has unveiled a hidden Christmas feature within ChatGPT. The unexpected treat allows users to generate a personalised AI video experience using nothing more than a simple emoji.
The Cryptic Teaser That Sparked Curiosity
On Saturday, Sam Altman posted a cryptic message on the social media platform X. His post encouraged users to experiment with ChatGPT using just a single emoji. This hint quickly captured the attention of the AI community, leading to the discovery that sending the gift-wrapped box emoji ? unlocks a special Christmas-themed interaction.
How the Festive Emoji Trick Works
When a user prompts ChatGPT with the ? emoji, the chatbot responds by asking them to upload or take a selfie. After this step is completed, ChatGPT passes the request to Sora, OpenAI's advanced video generation model. Sora then creates a short, personalised Christmas video specifically for that user.
The content of the video is tailored using information that ChatGPT has learned from the user's past interactions. This results in a customised festive message that feels unique to the individual.
Santa's Playful Verdict on Your Year
The AI-generated video features Santa Claus, who delivers a light-hearted verdict on the user's behaviour over the past year. In some cases, Santa praises the user and presents a virtual gift they are likely to enjoy, based on their chat history. In other instances, he jokingly declares them "naughty" and offers something deliberately undesirable.
Users have no creative control over the final output. The style, storyline, and outcome are entirely determined by Sora's AI algorithms.
Limitations and User Reports
Currently, the feature appears to be limited to a single video per user account. Attempting to start a new chat session and repeat the emoji prompt simply returns the same video rather than generating a fresh one. Some users have reported that other festive emojis, including the Christmas tree ? and Santa Claus ? emojis, also trigger the same Easter egg feature.
A Seasonal Experiment in AI Interaction
This playful feature underscores OpenAI's ongoing experiments with blending chat, image, and video generation into more seamless and interactive user experiences. While clearly a seasonal novelty, the surprise has added a fun and light-hearted touch to ChatGPT just in time for the Christmas holidays, showcasing the potential for more personalised AI engagements in the future.
