{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,16]],"date-time":"2026-04-16T16:49:46Z","timestamp":1776358186734,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,22]],"date-time":"2025-12-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1766361600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,29]],"date-time":"2025-12-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1766966400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":7,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100009613","name":"Universit\u00e4t Hohenheim","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100009613","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sci Eng Ethics"],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Hundreds of millions of users interact with large language models (LLMs) regularly to get advice on all aspects of life. The increase in LLMs\u2019 logical capabilities might be accompanied by unintended side effects with ethical implications. Focusing on recent model developments of ChatGPT, we can show clear evidence for a systematic shift in ethical stances that accompanied a leap in the models\u2019 logical capabilities. Specifically, as ChatGPT\u2019s capacity grows, it tends to give decisively more utilitarian answers to the two most famous dilemmas in ethics. Given the documented impact that LLMs have on users, we call for a research focus on the prevalence and dominance of ethical theories in LLMs as well as their potential shift over time. Moreover, our findings highlight the need for continuous monitoring and transparent public reporting of LLMs\u2019 moral reasoning to ensure their informed and responsible use.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1007\/s11948-025-00579-4","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,22]],"date-time":"2025-12-22T16:08:00Z","timestamp":1766419680000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Does a Smarter ChatGPT Become More Utilitarian?"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"32","author":[{"given":"J\u00fcrgen","family":"Pfeffer","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sebastian","family":"Kr\u00fcgel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8838-4824","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Matthias","family":"Uhl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"579_CR1","unstructured":"AI\/ML API (2024). 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Nature Human Behaviour, 5(6), 679\u2013685.","journal-title":"Nature Human Behaviour"},{"issue":"1","key":"579_CR10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4569","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-023-31341-0","volume":"13","author":"S Kr\u00fcgel","year":"2023","unstructured":"Kr\u00fcgel, S., Ostermaier, A., & Uhl, M. (2023). ChatGPT\u2019s inconsistent moral advice influences users\u2019 judgment. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 4569.","journal-title":"Scientific Reports"},{"key":"579_CR11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Malle, B. F., Scheutz, M., Arnold, T., Voiklis, J., & Cusimano, C. (2015). Sacrifice one for the good of many? People apply different moral norms to human and robot agents. In Proceedings of the ACM\/IEEE international conference on human-robot interaction, (pp. 117\u2013124).","DOI":"10.1145\/2696454.2696458"},{"key":"579_CR13","unstructured":"OpenAI (2024b). 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