ChatGPT struggles to report the time in chat, yet can embed the date easily
ChatGPT can whip up a Shakespeare-style paragraph, break down quantum mechanics, or draft a marketing email in a flash, but ask it for the exact minute and it usually trips up. Some users say the model keeps giving vague “morning” or “afternoon” answers, or just refuses outright, even though the same system can pull today’s calendar date without a hitch. A leaked system prompt hints that the date is baked into the conversation starter, giving the model a solid reference point right away.
That makes you wonder: why does a tool that can embed today’s date struggle to say “It’s 5:45 PM” right now? Engineers say it comes down to how the prompt architecture handles static versus dynamic info. The date can sit in a static prompt, but a ticking clock needs a live feed that the current setup doesn’t have.
The clash between what’s easy to hard-code and what needs real-time data sits at the heart of the issue.
“If we’re chatting and someone keeps popping in with, ‘It’s 5:45. It’s 5:46 now,’” one developer joked. By contrast, slipping the date into the system prompt is relatively simple - the leaked prompt seems to confirm that.”
"If we're having a conversation, and then somebody, every so often, was popping in and saying, 'It's 5:45.' 'It's 5:46 now.'" By contrast, something like the date is relatively easy to include in a system prompt at the start of a chat -- which one apparent ChatGPT system prompt leak seems to show. ChatGPT users can tell the time without too much fuss by asking the chatbot specifically to search for it. (Some other chatbots, like Google Gemini, will automatically search for the time.) You can also use an open-source model context protocol to connect an AI application to your data.
That said, sending AI models to search the web or letting them access personal data comes with risks, like the bot being injected with malicious prompts that are scattered across the internet, Minervini said. Minervini, who finds blind spots in consumer AI technology as part of his research, says there's actually a whole list of time-related tasks it hasn't mastered.
It turns out ChatGPT still can’t give you the exact time on demand. When I ask it for the current hour, the answer is usually a refusal or something vague like “I don’t have real-time data.” The model does manage to include the date, probably because the system prompt can be pre-filled with that information - a recent prompt leak seems to confirm it. This odd mismatch makes me wonder about the design choices behind it.
If you need a precise clock, the shortcoming is obvious; if you only need the day for a meeting, the date hack might be enough. Why the time-keeping bit is left out while the date is allowed isn’t really clear. The article doesn’t point to a technical limitation, so it could just be a policy decision.
In short, the lack of a reliable clock dampens the idea of ChatGPT as a truly all-round personal assistant, and I’m not sure if upcoming updates will fix this.
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Common Questions Answered
Why does ChatGPT struggle to report the current time but can embed the date easily?
According to the article, the current date is baked into the system prompt at the start of a chat, giving the model a reliable reference point. In contrast, the exact minute is not included in the prompt, so ChatGPT often gives generic time‑of‑day answers or refuses to answer.
How does the leaked system prompt affect ChatGPT's ability to provide the date?
The leaked system prompt shows that the date is inserted directly into the conversation starter, allowing the model to reference it consistently in its responses. This design choice makes the date readily available, unlike the time, which must be fetched separately.
Can users obtain the current time from ChatGPT by any workaround?
Yes, the article notes that users can ask ChatGPT to specifically search for the time, which prompts the model to perform an external lookup. However, this is not the default behavior and requires an explicit request from the user.
How does Google Gemini's handling of time differ from ChatGPT's approach?
Google Gemini automatically searches for the current time when asked, providing a more seamless personal‑assistant experience. ChatGPT, on the other hand, often refuses or gives vague answers unless the user explicitly requests a search.