Why Everyone Gets Different Answers from ChatGPT

f you've ever compared ChatGPT answers with a colleague or a friend, you’ve probably noticed something strange: you didn’t get the same response. Sometimes the tone is different. Sometimes the examples change. Occasionally the structure shifts. It can feel like you’re using completely different tools.

And in a way, you are.

ChatGPT doesn’t provide “one-size-fits-all” content. It adapts — constantly — to the person using it. Not in a spooky “reading your mind” way, but in a practical, behavioural way that’s driven by your settings, your writing style, and the prompts you tend to use.

Here’s what actually shapes your unique ChatGPT experience.

1. Your instructions shape everything (literally)

Every user can set custom instructions. These tell ChatGPT how to respond — tone, preferences, role, writing style, spelling (hello, Australian English), and typical tasks.

Once set, your responses diverge from someone who:

• prefers short-form explanations
• writes in American English
• uses a casual tone
• wants lots of disclaimers
• or gives very sparse instructions

Two people can ask the same question — and get tangibly different results — because they’ve effectively trained two different “assistant personas”.

2. ChatGPT adapts to your conversation history

The model remembers context within a conversation. It draws on:

• the way you phrase questions
• the level of detail you expect
• the topics you revisit
• the corrections you give (“less formal”, “more direct”, “shorter”)

Over time, each chat becomes tailored to that “relationship”.

This isn’t long-term memory unless you’ve turned that feature on — it’s short-term contextual alignment. But the effect is the same: the tool feels personal.

3. Different models = different personalities

ChatGPT comes in multiple versions — 5.1, 4o, o1, etc. Each has its own:

• accuracy profile
• creativity level
• risk tolerance
• writing style
• ability to handle nuance

You and a mate might simply be using different models.

It’s a bit like two chefs making the same meal with the same recipe — but one is trained in classical French cuisine and the other in modern fusion. Same ingredients, different instinctive moves.

4. Your prompt style heavily influences the outcome

Prompts act like steering wheels.

A marketer who asks:
“Write me a tight, benefits-driven email.”
…will get something lean and commercial.

A software engineer who asks:
“Explain this in a step-by-step technical breakdown.”
…will get something structured and analytical.

Two people asking the same question with different prompt framing will diverge wildly.

5. Personalisation ≠ access to your private data

A common fear:
“Is ChatGPT learning all my private details?”

Short answer: no, not unless you explicitly enable memory or provide information in your prompts.

ChatGPT adapts based on your requests, your corrections, and your declared preferences — not your emails, browsing history or device data.

This “on-the-fly contextual shaping” is why it feels personalised without actually storing or scraping personal files.

6. Different plugins, tools and integrations change output

If someone is using:

• Advanced Data Analysis
• Image generation
• Web browsing tools
• A custom GPT
• A specific template inside a Custom GPT

…their results vary because the tools they’re enabling change what the model can see or do.

This is particularly true for small businesses using SBPS’s own AI workflows, templates, and prompt libraries. These create consistent, reusable structures — but only for the person using them.

7. There’s no “master version” of the truth

Large language models generate answers probabilistically. That means:

• There are multiple correct ways to respond.

• The model chooses one.

• With different settings, the choice shifts.

Two different but valid answers aren’t an error — they’re a feature of generative AI.

This gives you flexibility, creativity and room for refinement. But it also means ChatGPT isn’t a fax machine: same input ≠ same output.

If you want your ChatGPT results to be more accurate, more consistent, and more aligned to your voice, consider building a Custom GPT for your own small business. It’s the easiest way to turn a generic tool into your personal marketing engine.

Expert Tip

When in doubt, give ChatGPT a correction. Even a quick “shorter”, “more strategic”, or “write this like a senior marketer” nudges the model closer to your style. Small course corrections compound fast.