ChatGPT is Relaxing Safety Restrictions, and That’s the Problem.

Generative AI

This week, OpenAI made an announcement that should give us all pause.
Sam Altman tweeted (X) that ChatGPT will soon let users tune the chatbot’s style of conversation: Want it friendlier? Done. More casual? Sure. For verified adults, users will be able to customise the bot to be erotic.

Yes, you read that right.

Part of his tweet:

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.

OpenAI writes that they’re building an age-prediction system to restrict this feature from minors. But let’s be clear about what’s happening here. OpenAI is going after one billion weekly active users.

And to achieve that growth, they’re taking off guardrails that were there for a reason. This move represents a huge cultural and ethical shift in OpenAI’s definition of responsibility.

It’s not just a new feature; it’s an abandonment of the kinds of guardrails that, until now, have drawn the line between AI…