Erotica has long been banned on OpenAI, but the company began exploring whether to offer it last year. Joanne Jang of OpenAI told US broadcaster NPR that the company wasn’t “trying now to create AI porn” but added that what might be allowed “depends on your definition of porn.” Jang said deepfakes would always be banned on the platform.
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Musk and Altman compete intensely against each other in the AI space. The pair founded OpenAI together in 2015, but Mr Musk left the start-up in 2018 amid a disagreement over its direction. He has since sued the company over plans to turn it into a for-profit business.
In 2023, Musk launched Grok to compete with ChatGPT. The chatbot is accessible through X, which the billionaire also owns, and a standalone app.
The Grok AI bot had previously suffered a series of controversies after it was found to make anti-Semitic remarks, as well as looking up Musk’s personal opinions before providing answers on controversial topics. The company said later that both issues had been fixed.
Before launching age-gated erotica, OpenAI will launch a “new version” of ChatGPT that will display “more personality”, such as responding in a “very human-like way” or using “a ton of emoji”.
The changes may prove controversial. Campaigners have warned that an increasing number of children are using AI bots for companionship. In July, research showed that one in eight children said they use the bots because they have nobody else to speak to.
The Telegraph, London
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