"Sexual content was a top draw for AI tools almost as soon as the boom in AI-generated imagery and words erupted in 2022. But the companies that were early to embrace mature AI also encountered legal and societal minefields and harmful abuse as a growing number of people have turned to the technology for companionship or titillation. Will a sexier ChatGPT be different?"
""In the same way that society differentiates other appropriate boundaries (R-rated movies, for example) we want to do a similar thing here," Altman wrote on social media platform X, whose owner, Elon Musk, has also introduced an animated AI character that flirts with paid subscribers. For now, unlike Musk's Grok chatbot, paid subscriptions to ChatGPT are mostly pitched for professional use."
""They're not really earning much through subscriptions so having erotic content will bring them quick money," said Zilan Qian, a fellow at Oxford University's China Policy Lab who has studied the popularity of dating-based chatbots in the U.S. and China. There are already about 29 million active users of AI chatbots designed specifically for romantic or sexual bonding, and that's not counting people who use conventional chatbots in that way."
OpenAI will allow ChatGPT to engage in erotica for verified adults while imposing stricter boundaries for teens. Sexual content has been a major consumer draw since the 2022 rise of AI-generated imagery and text. Early adopters of mature AI encountered legal challenges, societal backlash, and reports of harmful abuse as users increasingly sought companionship or sexual gratification from chatbots. The company framed the change as increased adult freedom comparable to R-rated media distinctions while noting platform differences like Musk's flirtatious Grok. Allowing erotic interactions could create a new revenue stream as subscription growth stalls. Safety, age verification, and regulatory risks remain central concerns.
Read at Fortune
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