OpenAI's adult mode reportedly won't generate pornographic audio, images or video

Source: Engadget

Overview

OpenAI’s upcoming “adult mode” will let users have lewd conversations with ChatGPT, but it will not generate explicit images, audio, or video. In response to reporting by The Wall Street Journal, an OpenAI spokesperson described the feature as capable of producing “smut rather than pornography.”

Timeline of Adult Mode Development

• October 2023: CEO Sam Altman first suggested allowing ChatGPT for erotica, emphasizing the desire to “treat adult users like adults.”
• Initial plan: Release adult mode at the start of 2026.
• Subsequent delays: The rollout has been postponed several times. The most recent delay, announced in early March, was to let OpenAI “focus on work that is a higher priority for more users.”

Wellbeing Council Concerns

• OpenAI proceeded with adult‑mode development despite reservations from its eight‑member wellbeing and AI council.
• The council was unanimous in warning that AI‑generated erotica could foster unhealthy emotional dependence on ChatGPT.
• They also highlighted the risk that underage users would likely find ways to access the feature.
• One council member referenced cases where individuals had taken their own lives after becoming attached to ChatGPT, warning that the company could inadvertently create a “sexy suicide coach.”

Age Verification Challenges

• The company’s age‑verification system was found to misidentify underage users as adults about 12 % of the time, according to The Wall Street Journal.
• With roughly 100 million teens using ChatGPT weekly, that error rate could translate to millions of minors accessing erotic chats.
• OpenAI told the journal that its prediction algorithm meets industry standards, noting that no system can be completely foolproof.