OpenAI Faces Backlash Over Plans for Sexually Explicit ChatGPT Content
SAN FRANCISCO – OpenAI is defending its plans to allow more explicit content within its chatgpt chatbot,following criticism from the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) and a wave of concern online. The company revealed intentions to broaden user freedom, including the potential for “erotica,” in a recent social media post by CEO Sam Altman.
NCOSE,formerly known as Morality in Media,argues OpenAI is introducing sexual content “without credible safeguards.” Haley McNamara, executive director and chief strategy officer at NCOSE, stated, “Sexualized AI chatbots are inherently risky, generating real mental health harms from synthetic intimacy; all in the context of poorly defined industry safety standards.” McNamara also pointed to documented instances of other chatbots simulating themes of child abuse or generating sexually violent content despite user requests to stop. She urged OpenAI to “pause any plans to integrate this so-called ‘erotica’ into ChatGPT and focus on building something positive for humanity.”
Altman responded to the outcry Wednesday in a post on X, stating the reaction to his declaration “blew up…much more than I thought it was going to!” He clarified that the example was intended to illustrate increased user freedom for adults and that OpenAI is “making a decision to prioritize safety over privacy and freedom for teenagers.” altman also affirmed the company is “not loosening any policies related to mental health.”
he further defended the move by stating, “We also care very much about the principle of treating adult users like adults,” and asserting that OpenAI should not act as “the elected moral police of the world.” Altman drew a parallel to existing societal boundaries, such as R-rated movies, suggesting a similar approach for ChatGPT.
Washington, D.C.-based NCOSE identifies itself as “the leading national non-profit organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation such as child sexual abuse, prostitution, sex trafficking and the public health harms of pornography.”
The controversy surrounding ChatGPT comes as OpenAI also addresses concerns from the entertainment industry regarding its Sora 2 video-generation system,which can produce recognizable movie and TV characters. The Motion Picture Association recently called on OpenAI to take “immediate action” to improve its copyright opt-out system to better address copyright infringement.
