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OpenAI has postponed the introduction of an adult-oriented feature for its ChatGPT platform, citing the need to address more urgent enhancements for its vast user base.
The company’s CEO, Sam Altman, revealed plans last year to permit mature content on the AI tool once age verification measures were in place.
Now, OpenAI indicates that this initiative is on hold to prioritize efforts like boosting the model’s capabilities, refining its conversational style, enhancing customization options, and increasing user interactivity.
With ChatGPT boasting over 900 million users, OpenAI stated that while it upholds the concept of empowering adults responsibly, perfecting the feature requires additional development time.
Following Altman’s October announcement to ease content guidelines, he has intensified internal efforts to strengthen ChatGPT against growing rivalry from competitors including Google and Anthropic.
In parallel, OpenAI is deploying age estimation technology to identify users younger than 18, activating stricter safeguards that limit access to violent or sexually explicit interactions, as outlined in its approach to age prediction.
Under the UK’s Online Safety Act, OpenAI must implement robust age controls to prevent minors from viewing any generated images classified as pornographic.
In a related development, a top executive in OpenAI’s robotics hardware unit has stepped down, voicing unease over the firm’s recent agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense.
Caitlin Kalinowski, who led hardware efforts, expressed worries about potential widespread monitoring of U.S. residents and the risks of AI systems enabling independent lethal actions.
In a post on X, Kalinowski noted that although AI plays a vital role in defense, unchecked surveillance of citizens and weaponized autonomy without human oversight crossed ethical boundaries too hastily.
She emphasized her admiration for Altman and the team but criticized the deal’s quick rollout without sufficient safeguards, framing it as a matter of proper oversight.
OpenAI announced last week that it would revise its Pentagon contract to prohibit any use of its technology for broad domestic spying, following Altman’s acknowledgment that the arrangement appeared hasty and poorly planned.
The partnership came shortly after the military ended its prior AI collaboration with Anthropic.
An OpenAI representative affirmed that the updated terms support ethical applications in national security while firmly ruling out domestic surveillance and self-operating armaments.
The company added that it values diverse perspectives on these topics and remains committed to dialogue with staff, officials, advocacy groups, and global stakeholders.
