Sam Altman responds to controversy over AI ‘erotica’ and teen safety

San Francisco: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has broken his silence following criticism and ridicule over the company’s plan for a ChatGPT ‘adult model’.

Altman shared details on Twitter about the upcoming changes, emphasising the company’s approach to providing more freedom for adult users while maintaining strict safeguards for teenagers.

What did Altman say about the controversy?

Altman acknowledged that his previous tweet had sparked more attention than expected.

He wrote, “Ok this tweet about upcoming changes to ChatGPT blew up on the erotica point much more than I thought it was going to! It was meant to be just one example of us allowing more user freedom for adults. Here is an effort to better communicate it.”

He clarified that OpenAI intends to prioritise “safety over privacy and freedom for teenagers,” while keeping the platform’s strict policies on mental health unchanged.

He added, “This is a new and powerful technology, and we believe minors need significant protection.”

How will the changes affect adult users?

Regarding the earlier focus on “erotica,” Altman said the company cares “about the principle of treating adult users like adults.”

He stressed that these adjustments will not “apply across the board” and explained that OpenAI will “treat users who are having mental health crises very differently from users who are not.”

Altman concluded by stating, “But we are not the elected moral police of the world. In the same way that society differentiates other appropriate boundaries (R-rated movies, for example) we want to do a similar thing here.”

When will the changes take effect?

In a previous tweet, Altman mentioned that regulatory changes had made ChatGPT “less useful/enjoyable to many users.” He added, “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.”