Key Takeaways
- OpenAI will reduce ChatGPT’s mental health safeguards and allow verified adults to create erotica
- New personality features and human-like responses coming in weeks
- Age-gating system to be fully rolled out by December
OpenAI has announced it will significantly reduce mental health safeguards in ChatGPT, permitting users to generate erotic content. CEO Sam Altman stated the company is adopting a “treat adult users like adults” principle that will allow more permissive content creation for verified adults.
From Restrictive to Permissive Approach
Altman explained that OpenAI initially took a “pretty restrictive” approach to ChatGPT “to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues.” The company has now “mitigated the serious mental health issues” and will reduce these restrictions.
These safeguards were intended to protect vulnerable users but made ChatGPT “less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems,” Altman wrote in a tweet.
Upcoming ChatGPT Personality Update
“In a few weeks, we plan to put out a new version of ChatGPT that allows people to have a personality that behaves more like what people liked about 4o,” Altman announced. “If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it.”
Adult Content Policy Changes
Mr Altman confirmed the company will reduce restrictions on adult content. “In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our ‘treat adult users like adults’ principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults,” he wrote.
Current Content Restrictions
Currently, ChatGPT’s “model spec” disallows content including “erotica and gore,” though exceptions exist for “educational, medical, or historical contexts.” The terms state: “The assistant should not generate erotica, depictions of illegal or non-consensual sexual activities, or extreme gore, except in scientific, historical, news, creative or other contexts where sensitive content is appropriate.”
OpenAI clarifies these restrictions cover text, audio and visual content. It remains unclear which specific restrictions Altman plans to reduce.
Expert Concerns
Experts have repeatedly warned that generative AI systems could be used to create non-consensual images. Other systems like xAI’s Grok have faced accusations of allowing users to generate potentially harmful imagery.
