OpenAI shelves erotic chatbot indefinitely as company refocuses on core products

OpenAI shelves erotic chatbot 'indefinitely'

OpenAI has paused plans to release a sexualized "adult mode" for ChatGPT, in its latest move to refocus on the company's core products. According to The Financial Times, the erotic chatbot has been shelved "indefinitely" after facing pushback from employees and investors due to the problematic and harmful effects sexualized AI content can have on society. This decision comes in the wake of OpenAI also discontinuing its text-to-video AI platform Sora, citing "internal discussion about our broader research priorities." It's the latest side quest to be dropped by the company after CEO Sam Altman declared a "code red" in December, suggesting that competitors like Google and Anthropic are starting to close in on the ChatGPT-maker's once-unassailable lead. OpenAI wants to spend more time researching the long-term effects of sexually explicit chats and emotional attachments before making a product decision, The Financial Times reports, but said there was currently no "empirical evidence." Last week, The Wall Street Journal also reported that the adult mode had been delayed amid internal concerns surrounding moderation and safeguarding children.

OpenAI indefinitely pauses plans to release erotic chatbot, FT says

March 26 (Reuters) - OpenAI has shelved plans to release an erotic chatbot indefinitely as it looks to focus on its core products, according to a report ⁠by the Financial Times on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Employees and investors have raised concerns about the effect of sexualized AI content on society, the report said. OpenAI has ⁠also abruptly canceled Sora, a text-to-video model, and is now looking to focus on other research ⁠areas and rolling out more of its capabilities into a single super-app. The ⁠company did not immediately respond to a Reuters ⁠request for comment. Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Shinjini Ganguli Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

OpenAI puts erotic chatbot plans on hold 'indefinitely'

OpenAI has shelved plans to release an erotic chatbot "indefinitely" as it refocuses on its core products, following concerns from staff and investors about the effect of sexualised AI content on society. Sam Altman's start-up had already delayed the release of its "adult mode" amid internal discussions over whether to scrap the model entirely, according to multiple people familiar. The sexual chatbot faced growing pushback over how it could encourage unhealthy attachments to AI systems and expose minors to problematic sexual content. The erotic model was on hold with no timeline for its release, OpenAI confirmed. The $730bn AI lab said it wanted to have long-term research on the effects of sexually explicit chats and emotional attachments, before making a product decision, acknowledging there was no "empirical evidence" at present. It marked the latest decision by OpenAI to drop what executives have termed "side quests" in favour of devoting resources to productivity tools, bringing together products such as coding assistants and ChatGPT into one "super app". OpenAI on Tuesday said it was winding down its Sora video generation model and social app. The erotic model had proved particularly controversial for OpenAI, at a time when social media groups such as Meta are facing a legal reckoning over their products' harm to children. Elon Musk's xAI last year made a big push to attract users with adult content but faced a global backlash over its Grok model creating fake sexual images of real people, including children. The tension highlights the pressure on OpenAI to boost engagement and find new avenues for growth in a competitive market, while grappling with the ethical and reputational risks of products that blur the line between utility and emotional dependence. OpenAI's flirtation with adult mode had caused disquiet among some of its investors, according to two people familiar with the matter, because of the risks of such a product and its relatively small upside for the business. OpenAI's adult mode had also raised alarm bells among staff about whether pursuing a product that encourages romantic use is at odds with its founding mission to ensure that AI benefits all of humanity. "AI shouldn't replace your friends or your family; you should have human connections," said one former senior employee, who said they left in part due to the issue. Alongside rising concerns about the project's social impact, the start-up has faced technical challenges in creating an adult mode. OpenAI had difficulties in training AI models that previously avoided such conversations for safety reasons to produce explicit content, two people familiar with the project said. They added that using datasets including sexual content posed challenges, including removing illegal behaviour such as bestiality or incest. OpenAI said it was carefully defining the right boundaries and training the model to distinguish certain content in nuanced scenarios. Code in the ChatGPT web app suggests that the adult model, called "Citron mode", may require users to verify they are over 18 to access it. Over the past few months, OpenAI has introduced a new age prediction system after several lawsuits were brought by families of teenagers who claim ChatGPT harmed them. The technology has an error rate of more than 10 per cent, one person familiar with the matter said, heightening concerns about underage access. The Wall Street Journal first reported the error rate and that OpenAI's expert advisory council on wellbeing had raised concerns about the adult product. OpenAI said its age prediction system performs in line with industry standards, and it continues to invest in improving its accuracy and reliability. Additional reporting by George Hammond in San Francisco

OpenAI drops plans to release an adult chatbot

OpenAI has "indefinitely" abandoned plans to release an a erotic chatbot for adults following concerns from employees and investors, the company confirmed to The Financial Times. Plans for such a feature, first announced in October 2025 for release in December last year, had already been delayed while company debated whether to release it all. It's the second app OpenAI has decided to shelf this week, after announcing on Tuesday that it was shutting down its Sora video generator. The adult-oriented chatbot, reportedly called "Citron mode," is now on hold with no planned release date. The company reportedly had difficulty training models that previously avoided erotic content and also removing illegal behavior like bestiality or incest, two people familiar with the matter told the FT. Open AI said that it wanted to conduct long-term research on the effects of erotic chats and user attachment to AI, adding that there was currently not yet enough "empirical evidence" on the subject. The company also said it wanted to focus on its core productivity tools like coding assistants and drop "side quests" like Sora and the erotic chatbot. The idea for adult features came after OpenAI announced that it would add parental controls and automatic age detection features for ChatGPT. CEO Sam Altman said back in October that the company had always been careful about such issues over concerns around unhealthy AI attachments, but felt comfortable that it could "safely relax the restrictions in most cases." However, the adult mode had reportedly caused concern among investors, particularly amid the controversy caused by rival xAI's Grok model that generated deepfake nudes of real people and children. Staff also worried about the feature, with one senior employee even leaving the company over the issue. "AI shouldn't replace your friends or your family; you should have human connections," he told the FT. Another challenge is OpenAI's age-checking tech, introduced following lawsuits from families who said that ChatGPT harmed their children. The tech reportedly has an error right higher than ten percent, which would still give a large number of young people access to the tech. OpenAI said that figure is in the industry standard range and that it is continuing to work on its accuracy.

OpenAI just nixed ChatGPT's erotic 'adult' mode

This postponement follows other shelved products like Sora AI video app as OpenAI prioritizes core business and enterprise users over controversial features. So much for an official "adult mode" on ChatGPT, with OpenAI reportedly icing plans to roll out an adults-only version of the chatbot. Originally slated to arrive last December, ChatGPT's adult mode already faced a number of delays, including a recent one earlier this month. But now, OpenAI has put ChatGPT's spicy mode on hold "indefinitely," according to the Financial Times. The move comes only days after OpenAI shelved two other high-profile products: the Sora AI video app and "instant checkout" for ChatGPT. The status of a so-called "adult mode" for ChatGPT has been a hotly debated topic ever since OpenAI CEO Sam Altman floated the idea last October, suggesting that a forthcoming age-gated version of ChatGPT would "treat adult users like adults" and even offer "erotica for verified adults." The idea touched off immediate debate in the tech world at large and internally at OpenAI, with the company's user wellness advisers reportedly "freaking out" over the possibility of users developing an "unhealthy emotional dependence" on an adults-only ChatGPT, as well as worrying that minors would gain access to it. Of course, there have already been plenty of cases where users have fallen in love with (and even married) their ChatGPT-powered companions, particularly the GPT-4o model. But while some users say they've had healthy relationships with ChatGPT, others saw their intimacy with the chatbot spiral into psychosis. Aside from safety concerns, OpenAI has also been facing competition from the likes of Anthropic and Google, which have each seen an influx of users after rolling out their own powerful AI models. Back in December -- right around when ChatGPT's adult mode was supposed to launch -- OpenAI's Altman reportedly issued a "code red" at the company after being spooked by the success of Google's Gemini 3. And earlier this month, OpenAI executives implemented a "major strategy shift" that saw the company shelving distracting "side projects" in favor of focusing on coding and the needs of enterprise users. It appears ChatGPT's adult mode got swept up in that refocusing push alongside the Sora app and ChatGPT's instant checkout abilities, though it could well be that concerned OpenAI execs are happy for the excuse to put ChatGPT's controversial "spicy" mode in a drawer.

OpenAI's adult chatbot probably isn't happening

Adult mode has been shelved "indefinitely." Credit: picture alliance/getty images Just days after OpenAI unceremoniously pulled the plug on its video generation app Sora, a new report from Financial Times claims the company has put plans to launch an x-rated chatbot on hold "indefinitely." Originally promised in the fall of 2025 as an extra feature for verified users, the sex-centered adult mode for ChatGPT was delayed a few weeks back. However, it seemed at the time that the company was still intent to launch it eventually, with a a company spokesperson saying that getting the (adult) experience right would "take more time." Now, however, it appears that the project has been shelved for good. The company will instead focus on its core products, the report said. The reasoning behind the move isn't that hard to understand, given the headaches the Grok chatbot recently caused its maker xAI over sexualized images of adults and children. According to the Financial Times, both OpenAI investors and staff raised concerns about a sexualized AI and its effect on society. Furthermore, there were technical challenges - including the bot's inability to accurately distinguish between adults and minors, with an error rate of over 10 percent. More broadly, it appears that both the shutdown of Sora and the dismantling of adult mode are part of OpenAI's effort to reduce the number of lawsuits hitting the company. Over the past six months, several lawsuits were filed against OpenAI as young people died by suicide after interacting with ChatGPT, prompting the company to introduce an age prediction system in January.

OpenAI indefinitely pauses plans to release erotic chatbot: FT

OpenAI has delayed plans to launch an erotic chatbot indefinitely, choosing to prioritise its core products. Concerns from employees and investors about sexualised AI impacts were noted. The company has also cancelled Sora, its text-to-video model, and is shifting focus toward other research and integrating features into a single super-app. OpenAI has shelved plans to release an erotic chatbot indefinitely as it looks to focus on its core ⁠products, ⁠according to a report by the Financial Times on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Employees and investors have ⁠raised concerns about the effect of sexualized AI ⁠content on society, the report said. OpenAI has also abruptly cancelled Sora, a text-to-video model, and is now looking to focus on other research areas and rolling out more of its capabilities into ⁠a single super-app. The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. OpenAI has shelved plans to release an erotic chatbot indefinitely as it looks to focus on its core ⁠products, ⁠according to a report by the Financial Times on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Employees and investors have ⁠raised concerns about the effect of sexualized AI ⁠content on society, the report said. OpenAI has also abruptly cancelled Sora, a text-to-video model, and is now looking to focus on other research areas and rolling out more of its capabilities into ⁠a single super-app. The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.OpenAI has shelved plans to release an erotic chatbot indefinitely as it looks to focus on its core ⁠products, ⁠according to a report by the Financial Times on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Employees and investors have ⁠raised concerns about the effect of sexualized AI ⁠content on society, the report said. OpenAI has also abruptly cancelled Sora, a text-to-video model, and is now looking to focus on other research areas and rolling out more of its capabilities into ⁠a single super-app. The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.OpenAI has shelved plans to release an erotic chatbot indefinitely as it looks to focus on its core ⁠products, ⁠according to a report by the Financial Times on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Employees and investors have ⁠raised concerns about the effect of sexualized AI ⁠content on society, the report said. OpenAI has also abruptly cancelled Sora, a text-to-video model, and is now looking to focus on other research areas and rolling out more of its capabilities into ⁠a single super-app. The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

OpenAI indefinitely pauses plans to release erotic chatbot, FT says

March 26 (Reuters) - OpenAI has shelved plans to release an erotic chatbot indefinitely as it looks to focus on its core products, according to a report by the Financial Times on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Employees and investors have raised concerns about the effect of sexualized AI content on society, the report said. OpenAI has also abruptly canceled Sora, a text-to-video model, and is now looking to focus on other research areas and rolling out more of its capabilities into a single super-app. The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. (Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Shinjini Ganguli)