OpenAI will allow more content in ChatGPT. This includes erotica. CEO Sam Altman said they want to “treat adult users like adults.”
In a post on X, Altman wrote that future versions of the popular chatbot will allow it to behave more like a human – “if you want to.”
The move, reminiscent of the recent introduction of two sexually explicit chatbots Grok from xAI’s Ilon Musk, could help OpenAI attract more paying subscribers.
It’s also likely to increase pressure on lawmakers to impose stricter restrictions on companion chatbots – virtual companions that are set up to not only provide information but also simulate friendship, romantic relationships or emotional support.
OpenAI did not respond to the BBC’s requests for comment.
Altman, however, said OpenAI had previously made ChatGPT “serious enough to make sure we’re careful about problems. uot;We know this made it less useful/pleasant for many users who didn’t have mental health issues, but given the severity of the problem, we wanted to do the right thing,” Mr Altman wrote.
He said ChatGPT could soon loosen restrictions – “now that we’ve been able to mitigate serious mental health issues and have new tools”.
“In December, when we fully implement the age restrictions and as part of our principle” to treat adult users as adults “, we will allow even more, such as erotica for verified adults,” Mr Altman added.
The changes come after the parents of a US teenager who committed suicide sued OpenAI earlier this year.
The lawsuit, filed by Matt and:12)The family included chats between Adam, who died in April, and ChatGPT that show him having suicidal thoughts.
In a statement, OpenAI told the BBC as it reviewed the document.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the Raine family at this difficult time”, the company said.
Children’s safety at issue
Under UK law, written erotica does not require age verification.
However, pornographic images, including those generated by AI, will require users to prove they are over 18.
In the US, critics say OpenAI’s decision to allow erotica on the platform shows the need for stricter regulation at the federal and state levels.
“How are they going to make sure kids can’t access the parts of ChatGPT that are only for ChatGPT eta, which says the company’s Instagram algorithm is harmful to teenagers’ mental health.
“OpenAI, like most major tech companies in the industry, is just using people as experimental rabbits,” she said.
In April, TechCrunch reported that OpenAI allowed accounts where the user had registered as a minor to create erotic images.
OpenAI then said the company was implementing changes to restrict such content.
A survey released this month by the nonprofit Centre for Democracy and Technology (CDT) found that one in five students reported that they or someone they knew had a “romantic relationship” with AI.
On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill passed by the state legislature. 0:30)Altman’s statement comes at a time when sceptics are questioning the rapid growth in the value of AI tech companies.
Rob Lalka, a business professor at Tulane University and author of “Venture Alchemists,” said large AI companies have found themselves competing for market share.
“No company has ever had the level of momentum that OpenAI has with ChatGPT,” Prof Lalka told BBC News.
“They need to keep moving up this exponential growth curve, achieving as much market dominance as possible,” he added.