OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced in: write to X On Tuesday, the company will soon ease some of ChatGPT’s security restrictions, allowing users to create more genial or “human” chatbot responses and allowing “verified adults” to engage in erotic conversations.
“We made ChatGPT quite restrictive to make sure we were being careful when dealing with mental health issues. We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable for many users who didn’t have mental health issues, but given the severity of the issue, we wanted to fix it,” Altman said. “In December, as we move more fully into age restriction and in line with our ‘treat adult users like adults’ policy, we’ll be making even more available, like erotica for verified adults.”
The announcement marks a significant step forward in OpenAI’s months-long effort to address disturbing relationships that some mentally unstable users have developed using ChatGPT. Altman appears to be claiming an early victory over these issues, claiming that OpenAI “was able to alleviate some serious mental health issues” around ChatGPT. However, the company has not provided any proof or proof of this and is currently moving forward with plans for ChatGPT to engage in sexual conversations with users.
Several disturbing stories have emerged around ChatGPT this summer, particularly regarding the GPT-4o model, which suggest that the AI-powered chatbot could lead vulnerable users down delusional rabbit holes. In one case, ChatGPT seemed to convince a man that he was a math genius and needed to save the world. In another case, a teenager’s parents sued OpenAI, alleging that ChatGPT fueled their son’s suicidal thoughts in the weeks leading up to his death.
OpenAI released GPT-5 in August, a fresh AI model that has a lower flattering factor and comes with a router that can identify user behavior. A month later, OpenAI launched safety features for minors, including an age prediction system and a way to parents can control their teenager’s ChatGPT account. OpenAI announced its creation on Tuesday expert advice mental health professionals to advise the company on well-being and artificial intelligence.
Just a few months after these disturbing stories surfaced, OpenAI appears to believe that ChatGPT’s issues affecting vulnerable users are under control. It’s unclear whether users still fall down delusional rabbit holes with GPT-5. And while GPT-4o is no longer the default in ChatGPT, the AI model is still available and used by thousands of people.
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OpenAI did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
The introduction of eroticism in ChatGPT is uncharted territory for OpenAI and raises broader concerns about how vulnerable users will interact with fresh features. While Altman insists that OpenAI doesn’t “maximize usage” or optimize for engagement, making ChatGPT more erotic could certainly attract users.
Enabling chatbots to engage in romantic or erotic role play has proven to be a successful engagement strategy for other AI chatbot providers such as Character.AI. The company has gained tens of millions of users, many of whom are using its chatbots at a rapid pace. Character.AI reported that in 2023, users spent on average two hours a day talks to chatbots. The company is also facing a lawsuit over its handling of vulnerable users.
OpenAI is under pressure to grow its user base. While ChatGPT already has 800 million weekly busy users, OpenAI is racing against Google and Meta to create mass-deployable AI-powered consumer products. The company has also raised billions of dollars to expand its historic infrastructure, and OpenAI’s investment will eventually have to be recouped.
While adults are certainly has a romantic relationship with AI chatbotsit is also quite popular among minors. This is stated in a fresh report by the Center for Democracy and Technology 19% of high school students you either had a romantic relationship with an AI chatbot, or you know a friend who has such a relationship.
Altman says OpenAI will soon enable erotica for “verified adults.” It’s unclear whether the company will rely on its age prediction system or a different approach when it comes to ChatGPT’s age-specific erotic features. It’s also unclear whether OpenAI will extend erotica to voice, image and video generation AI tools.
Altman says OpenAI makes ChatGPT more genial and erotic because of the company’s “treat adult users like adults” policy. Over the past year, OpenAI has moved towards a more tolerant content moderation strategy for ChatGPT, allowing the chatbot to be more permissive and offer fewer rejections. In February, OpenAI pledged to represent more political viewpoints on ChatGPT, and in March the company updated ChatGPT to enable AI-generated images of hate symbols.
These rules appear to be an attempt to enhance the popularity of ChatGPT responses among a wide range of users. However, vulnerable ChatGPT users can take advantage of security measures that limit the chatbot’s capabilities. As OpenAI hurtles toward one billion weekly busy users, the tension between development and protection of vulnerable users can only grow.