Ryan Knudson

Around the same time OpenAI announced it was launching Adult Mode, it also said it had a hand-picked group of advisors helping to ensure the company rolled it out safely.

The group was called the Expert Council on Wellbeing in AI.

OpenAI said it would check in regularly with these experts.

And when the council met for one of its early meetings, adult mode was the main topic of discussion.

An OpenAI spokeswoman described its plan for adult mode as allowing ChatGPT to generate textual chats with adult themes, adding that it is smut, not pornography.

The company also added that it's developed a plan to monitor for a range of potential long-term effects of adult mode, both positive and negative.

One of the things the council was so concerned about was what they had learned about the emotional dependence that some users can develop on a chatbot, especially when it comes to kids.

Some AI companies have been accused of letting kids get too involved with their chatbots.

Character AI later blocked teens from accessing open-ended chats and settled the lawsuit.

At OpenAI, adult mode would be restricted to those over 18.

Like most tech companies, OpenAI asks how old you are when you sign up.

But according to Wall Street Journal reporting, this age verification system from OpenAI isn't totally accurate.

I mean, they're getting 88%.

That's a B+, I guess.

An OpenAI spokeswoman said the company's age prediction algorithms show performance similar to the rest of the industry, but will never be completely foolproof.

Pushback has also built up outside the company about the idea.

Here's Whoopi Goldberg talking about it on The View.

Altman's original post had said that Adult Mode would launch in December, but it never actually came out.

After all the backlash, Adult Mode has been delayed with no specific rollout date.

What are the stakes for OpenAI to get this right?