OpenAI abandons yet another side quest: ChatGPT’s erotic mode

OpenAI has put the kibosh on yet another project—at least for the time being. On Thursday, the Financial Times reported that the AI company would be “indefinitely” pausing plans to develop an “erotic” mode for ChatGPT. The proposed “adult mode,” which CEO Sam Altman first floated in October, had inspired considerable controversy from tech watchdog groups as well as from OpenAI’s own staff. In January, a meeting between company executives and its council of advisors got heated, with one of the advisors cautioning that OpenAI could be in the process of developing a “sexy suicide coach,” The Wall Street Journal previously reported. Amidst all of the criticism, the release of the feature was delayed multiple times. FT notes that the erotic feature now has no timeline for release. When reached for comment by TechCrunch, an OpenAI spokesperson said the company had “nothing further to add.” Adult mode is only the latest side-quest that OpenAI has abandoned over the past week as the AI giant consolidates its focus. On Tuesday, the company quietly announced that it would be deprioritizing Instant Checkout, a feature within ChatGPT that had sought to make the chatbot a purchase portal where users could buy items from e-commerce websites. Then, on Wednesday, the company surprisingly announced that it would be shutting down Sora, its AI video generator. Sora had been criticized for inspiring the deluge of AI “slop” that has flooded the internet since its launch in 2024. All of the changes come approximately a week after The Wall Street Journal reported that OpenAI would be engaging in a “major strategy shift” to pivot the company away from distractions so that it could zero in on its primary focuses: business users and coders. Why has OpenAI chosen this particular moment to do away with the distractions and lock in? Perhaps it’s because it’s been feeling the heat from Anthropic, which has been tenaciously releasing a series of coding and business tools over the past few months—and has seen substantial success in wooing customers as a result. The two companies have also been very openly feuding over Pentagon contracts—a battle OpenAI appears to have won. Three weeks ago, it announced a $200 million agreement with the Department of Defense, while Anthropic is now locked in a legal battle with the agency. In short, it would appear that, if recent developments tell us anything, the future of AI is probably less about porn and memes and more about business and war. Topics AI, ChatGPT, OpenAI, sam altman Lucas Ropek Senior Writer, TechCrunch Lucas is a senior writer at TechCrunch, where he covers artificial intelligence, consumer tech, and startups. He previously covered AI and cybersecurity at Gizmodo. You can contact Lucas by emailing lucas.ropek@techcrunch.com.

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