OpenAI to Allow Sexual Conversations for Adult Users
"Much More, Including Adult Content, Will Be Permitted Starting in December"
"Mental Health Issues Can Be Mitigated to Some Extent"
OpenAI has announced its plan to allow sexual conversations and adult content for adult users of ChatGPT. According to Yonhap News, on October 14 (local time), Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that with the upcoming release of a new version of ChatGPT, the company intends to further expand the range of content permitted for adult users.
Altman stated, "Within a few weeks, we plan to launch a new version of ChatGPT that better reflects the qualities people liked in GPT-4o," adding, "We expect this version to be even better."
Altman explained, "If you want ChatGPT to converse more naturally like a human, or talk to you like a friend, we will make that possible," and continued, "In December, as we more fully introduce age restriction features, in line with the principle of 'treating adults as adults,' we will allow much more, such as adult content, for verified adult users."
Last August, OpenAI replaced its main artificial intelligence (AI) model with GPT-5, but faced strong backlash from ChatGPT users. Users expressed that not only had the new model's performance declined, but also that the emotional bond they had built with GPT-4o had been undermined. In response, OpenAI revived the previous GPT-4o service under the 'Legacy' option, but only for paid 'Plus' subscribers.
He said, "We made ChatGPT quite restrictive to carefully address mental health issues, but we realized this made the chatbot less useful and less enjoyable for many users without mental health concerns," and added, "Now, we are able to mitigate serious mental health problems to some extent and have new tools, so in most cases, we can safely relax these restrictions."
In response, the U.S. online media outlet Axios commented, "While OpenAI's move to loosen restrictions on the level of expression in AI content may help increase paid chatbot subscribers, it could ultimately raise social issues and intensify regulatory pressure, including relevant laws."
Last January, OpenAI announced on its website that "developers and users are seeking ways to generate erotica and violent scenes in age-appropriate contexts." Especially after xAI's AI chatbot 'Grok' introduced an adult mode in February, OpenAI posted an article titled "Why Adult Mode Is Needed," stating, "There have been many requests from users, and it is to ensure creative freedom," and added, "We hope people understand that this is not simply a feature upgrade, but a business decision to keep OpenAI at the forefront of the AI market."
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