Following the backlash, OpenAI won’t be releasing an erotic version of ChatGPT anytime soon.
According to the Financial TimesThe controversial plan has been shelved “indefinitely” as OpenAI “refocuses” its attention on “core products.”
Insiders told the Financial Times that OpenAI considered removing the “adult mode” plan entirely, as even his own advisors warned that ChatGPT users could form unhealthy bonds, which could harm their mental health. One advisor chillingly suggested that the adjustment risked turning ChatGPT into a “sexy suicide coach.”
Advisors weren’t the only ones who saw red flags, according to the report.
Staff began to question whether ChatGPT’s appeal was aligned with OpenAI’s mission to create AI that benefits humanity. For staff working on developing “adult mode,” it apparently wasn’t worth the effort to overcome the technical challenges of the feature. They faced “difficulties,” sources told the Financial Times, “training AI models that previously avoided such conversations for security reasons to produce explicit content.” It was also difficult to keep illegal behaviors, such as bestiality and incest, out of the results when using data sets that included sexual content, the sources said.
Apparently, Sexy ChatGPT also discouraged investors. Two people familiar with the matter told the Financial Times that “OpenAI’s flirtation with adult mode had caused concern,” with some investors questioning why OpenAI would risk its reputation on a product with “relatively small advantages” to its business.
Even without erotic responses, ChatGPT has been linked to mental health harm in both children and adults through lawsuits alleging that OpenAI recklessly released the chatbot without proper safeguards.
