OpenAI is shelving its planned ChatGPT 'adult mode' days after dropping Sora
openai sora
| Source: CNET on MSN | Original article
OpenAI announced on Tuesday that it is indefinitely shelving the “adult mode” feature it had slated for ChatGPT, a move that follows the abrupt shutdown of its short‑lived Sora video‑sharing app. The decision, reported by the Financial Times and echoed by several tech outlets, means the company will not release an erotic chatbot that would have allowed users to request explicit sexual content.
The adult‑mode plan had been floated earlier this year as a way to broaden ChatGPT’s appeal and capture a niche market that competitors such as Anthropic and Google have hinted at exploring. However, internal reviews flagged a host of legal and reputational risks: potential violations of age‑verification laws in the EU and the United States, heightened exposure to non‑consensual deep‑fake generation, and the likelihood of the feature being weaponised for harassment or illicit procurement of personal data. The same concerns surfaced during the brief life of Sora, which was pulled after regulators and child‑protection groups warned that its AI‑generated video tools could be misused for pornographic deep‑fakes.
By shelving adult mode, OpenAI signals a more cautious stance toward high‑risk content, reinforcing its public commitment to responsible AI deployment after a series of controversies, including the recent Codex token‑theft vulnerability and backlash over GitHub Copilot advertising. The pause also buys the firm time to refine its moderation infrastructure and align with emerging AI‑specific regulations in the EU’s AI Act and the U.S. White House Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights.
What to watch next: whether OpenAI will revisit the feature under stricter safeguards, how regulators will shape permissible AI‑generated adult content, and whether rivals will fill the gap with their own “NSFW” extensions. The company’s next product roadmap update, expected later this quarter, will likely reveal how it balances innovation with the mounting pressure for robust content controls.
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