Observed arrival · 2026-09-30
AI Downgrade Test: five ways to check a chatbot
A set of prompts and checks for ChatGPT users wondering whether their model or responses have changed.
- For
- ChatGPT users checking for changes in model behavior
- Worth noticing
- The fingerprint result is compared locally against 16 candidate models; the page says it cannot identify the actual model with certainty.
Field notes
The fingerprint method asks the user to copy an integer-picking prompt into a separate ChatGPT chat, then paste the reply for local comparison; the page says answers are not uploaded. Other methods include a candy puzzle with a stated 21-candy solution and blind-draw answer of 29, an SVG pelican prompt, and a third-party proof-of-work check. The site recommends repeating checks and stopping if follow-ups look normal, while noting that no single test establishes account restrictions or model substitution.
Observed signals
Read the marks
Editorial observations of this landing page, not a rating.
One card from the complete issue