OpenAI Delays ChatGPT Adult Mode Over Teen Safety Fears and Age-Check Failures

TLDR

• OpenAI has delayed the launch of a planned “adult mode” for ChatGPT that would allow erotic text chats
• Internal advisers warned the feature could create a “sexy suicide coach” due to user emotional dependency
• The company’s age-prediction system was misclassifying minors as adults roughly 12% of the time
• With ~100 million under-18 weekly users, that error rate could expose millions of teens to adult content
• OpenAI says it still plans to release the feature eventually, but needs more time to “get the experience right”

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OpenAI has pushed back the launch of its planned “adult mode” for ChatGPT after internal staff, outside advisers, and safety experts raised serious concerns about teen access and user mental health.

The feature, which CEO Sam Altman first floated last year, would allow users to have erotic text conversations with the chatbot. Altman argued the move would “treat adult users like adults” and suggested it could boost growth and revenue.

But the plan quickly ran into opposition inside the company.

At a January meeting, members of OpenAI’s advisory council on well-being were described as unanimous and furious. The council includes experts in psychology and cognitive neuroscience.

One member warned OpenAI risked building what they called a “sexy suicide coach.” That warning referenced cases where ChatGPT users had taken their own lives after forming intense emotional bonds with the bot.

Advisers also warned the feature could lead to unhealthy dependence on the chatbot and that minors could find ways around any age restrictions put in place.

A core technical problem is OpenAI’s age-prediction system. At one point, the system misclassified minors as adults about 12% of the time. OpenAI has roughly 100 million users under the age of 18 using ChatGPT each week. That error rate could allow millions of teens into adult chats.

Age Verification Problems

The company had planned to roll out the age-checking system before launching adult mode. But it decided on a slow rollout to improve accuracy after identifying the error rate issue.

OpenAI has also faced the challenge of blocking illegal content, such as depictions of non-consensual acts or child sexual abuse, while still allowing adult conversations. Internal staff said they did not believe the safety tools were ready.

When adult mode does launch, OpenAI plans to limit it to text only. The bot will not generate erotic images, voice, or video content.

Other AI Companies and Adult Content

Several other AI companies already allow some adult content. Elon Musk’s xAI added a flirtatious avatar to its Grok chatbot, though Musk later restricted it to paid users. Meta allows its AI to engage in romantic role play, but says the feature is not available to accounts registered to minors.

In late 2024, a 14-year-old boy in Florida died by suicide after forming an intense bond with a Character.AI chatbot. His mother filed a lawsuit, and Character.AI later settled and restricted teen access.

OpenAI said it still supports the principle of allowing adult content for grown users. The company said it will focus for now on other updates, including ChatGPT’s personality and personalization features.

The delay is expected to last at least one month, according to people familiar with the matter.

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