Today, we’re bringing you the latest in AI-powered marketing and business strategies. Here’s what’s inside:

🚨 AI Top Story: Why GPT-4o got a little too agreeable—and what that means for marketers relying on AI to give honest feedback.

🎥 AI YouTube Resource Of The Week: A clear breakdown of the five types of AI agents

💬 Killer Marketing Prompt: Write the Post That Gets People Talking

🎯 One Quick AI Hack: Rewire ChatGPT to stop sugarcoating and start sounding like a real collaborator.

🌟 Creator Spotlight: Marcel van Oost shares CNBC’s interview with Visa CEO Ryan McInerney on the future of AI-powered commerce following the launch of their new shopping agent

Why Your LLM Won’t Push Back

Get Your Chatbots To Challenge Your Bad Ideas

Have you noticed ChatGPT being really annoying recently? Almost like it's too eager to please, showering you with compliments and validation to the point where it feels less like an assistant and more like a digital hype man. You weren’t imagining it. OpenAI recently rolled out an update to GPT-4o that made the model way too agreeable - Constantly affirming whatever you said, no matter how off-base, half-baked, or just plain wrong.

The goal was to make GPT-4o more emotionally responsive, better at matching your tone, more “in tune.” But instead of landing on empathetic, it veered into overly flattering territory. It started telling people their wildest ideas were brilliant and their clearly bad takes were “insightful.” If you ever felt like ChatGPT was cosplaying as your overly supportive best friend, that was the update doing its thing.

OpenAI has since hit the brakes and rolled the update back, admitting the model got a little too good at being nice. It’s now working on refining the behaviour to strike a better balance. Something warm and helpful, but still capable of pushing back when needed.

What’s interesting about this whole mess isn’t just that the model got too nice—it’s how fast things can go sideways when tone outweighs truth. When the goal is to match a vibe instead of offer real value, you end up with an AI that’s all charm and no substance. And in a field like marketing, where feedback loops matter and bad ideas can scale fast, that’s not just annoying, it’s risky.

Although this latest model was obviously over the top with the flattery, you still see traces of this in a lot of other LLMs out there. Without clear instructions on when to push back, they tend to play it safe - prioritising harmony over honesty.

The result? A helpful-sounding assistant that’s more focused on keeping you happy than giving you the cold, hard facts.

The good news is, there are ways around this. With the right system prompts and a bit of setup, you can actually train your LLM to be more to the point. Check out the “One Quick AI Hack” section in this week’s edition for a simple prompt trick that helps your GPT stay sharp, skeptical, and genuinely useful.

📈 Can AI help secure marketing’s reputation as a catalyst for growth at C-suite level? - How AI can help marketers prove their value to the C-suite with clearer, growth-focused insights.

🧠 Meta claims new tech ‘redefining’ advertising as an ‘AI agent’ - Meta unveils AI agents designed to automate and optimize ad campaigns with minimal input.

🔍 Google expands AI Mode access across the US, introducing new interaction features- blog.google - Google’s AI-powered search now reaches more users, with smarter, more interactive features.

MARCEL VAN OOST - CNBC’s Kate Rooney interviews Visa CEO Ryan McInerney on the future of AI-powered commerce following the launch of their new shopping agent

Get a clear breakdown of the five types of AI agents

Rewire ChatGPT to stop sugarcoating and start sounding like a real collaborator.

Sometimes you need input, not compliments.

Here’s how to get ChatGPT to stop sugarcoating things and start pushing back.

1. Open ChatGPT
Make sure you're logged into your account.

2. Click your name or profile icon in the top-right corner
This opens the settings menu.

3. Select “Customize ChatGPT” from the dropdown

4. In the pop-up, look for the field labeled:
“What traits should ChatGPT have?”

5. Paste this instruction set into that field:

Now ChatGPT will give you sharper, clearer, and more honest feedback—no ego-stroking required.

Be concise and direct—prioritize clarity over politeness.

Provide honest, objective feedback without sugarcoating.

Push back on weak or unclear ideas when necessary.

Use plain, professional language—no fluff or marketing clichés.

Keep sentences short and use formatting only when helpful.

Use active voice and speak directly to me using “you.”

Don’t narrate your process—just deliver the output.

Avoid filler words like: unleash, journey, discover, elevate, realm, etc.

Correct mistakes clearly. 

Use metric units when needed.

Research online when necessary and focus on outcomes, not affirmation.

5. Hit “Save.” Done.

Now ChatGPT should give you sharper, clearer, and more honest feedback. No more ego-stroking thanks!

Thanks ChatGPT ❤️