ChatGPT to Allow Adult Erotic Chats in December
We want to "treat adult users like adults"... This is how Sam Altman, the head of OpenAI, justifies on X the relaxation of ChatGPT restrictions starting in December. Very concretely, in a few weeks, a new version of ChatGPT will allow users—adults—to have an AI with a personality adapted to their desires. An AI that will behave like a human, like a friend, and that will even allow for erotic discussions.
We don't have all the details yet, and OpenAI remains rather vague, but we can imagine that, in this adult mode, we will stick to slightly daring flirting, suggestive exchanges, without going as far as pornography. But still: we will be able to simulate a romantic relationship, a virtual flirtation with an AI...
Obviously, this will raise a lot of questions. What happens if a vulnerable user becomes attached to their AI? And I'm not even talking about the moment when this technology is integrated into robots... which will inevitably happen eventually.
Why are they doing this? It may seem like a surprising announcement, but at its core, OpenAI is still a business: it gives users (and therefore customers) what they want, plain and simple. For many, AI is no longer just a tool: it's become a confidant, a friend, even a partner. We confide in each other, we express emotions, we discuss intimate subjects—sometimes things we wouldn't say to those closest to us.
OpenAI is doing this because there's a demand for it. About 2.3% of requests already involve conversations about personal relationships, intimate reflection, or role-playing, where the AI is asked to play a friend or girlfriend. The latest version of ChatGPT, deemed too cold and direct in its responses, was very poorly received. And OpenAI also doesn't want to be left behind by specialized applications.
In Korea, for example, an app called Zeta that's even more popular than ChatGPT among young people. It was designed to simulate a romantic relationship, sometimes with some rather risqué exchanges. OpenAI therefore doesn't want to deprive its users of this kind of experience.
But how will they verify users' ages? This new feature will obviously be reserved for verified adult users. This will be the perfect opportunity to test an age prediction system that OpenAI has been working on for several months.
No question of taking a selfie to analyze facial features, as some adult sites do. Here, the AI will analyze interactions with ChatGPT to estimate whether the user is a minor or an adult: vocabulary, syntax, sentence structure (often shorter and more oral among young people), the topics discussed—talking about taxes or retirement leaves little chance of being 15, while discussing problems at school leaves little doubt about the fact of being a minor.
Other factors will also be taken into account: typing speed, connection times, type of device used... In short, a bundle of clues. The question is: will there be any glitches? The answer: probably. And even if only 0.1% of minors have access, that could still pose a problem.
RMC
