Despite strong misgivings from its own internal advisory council of experts in psychology and cognitive neuroscience about insufficient protections for minors, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says he is committed to launching the "adult mode" for ChatGPT.
This comes as OpenAI is in court trying to prove its chatbot did not help at least four people commit suicide.
In the wake of a lawsuit over a teen's suicide, OpenAI added parental controls that let parents set times when their children cannot use ChatGPT and disable image generation and voice mode, but advisers warn that children will find ways to get around age restrictions and access the erotic chats. They also foresee some users becoming emotionally dependent on adult mode.
Heidi Olson of Paradigm Shift says artificial intelligence (AI) is wreaking havoc, especially on young people.
"We already are seeing trends around AI chatbots – quote, unquote – 'befriending' kids and encouraging suicide, encouraging harm," she tells AFN. "AI is ushering a whole new world of pornography, exposure, exploitation and harm. Listening to it is just as harmful as watching it."
Altman reportedly asserts ChatGPT adult mode will be text-only, meaning it will not be able to create pornographic audio, images or videos. An OpenAI spokesperson recently told The Wall Street Journal the company considers these chats "smut rather than pornography."
But Olson says none of that makes a bit of difference.
"Our imaginations are powerful," she points out. "I've talked to many females, and kind of their introduction into porn addiction is books or audiobooks."
The company initially had plans to release adult mode by the end of this month, but OpenAI is delaying the feature to focus on higher-priority items, including "gains in intelligence, personality improvements, personalization and making the experience more proactive."
The company says it wants to take the necessary time to get adult mode "right."
An official launch date for adult mode has not been announced.
