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

OpenAI has put the kibosh on yet another project – at least for now. The Financial Times writes this on Thursday reported that the AI ​​company would “indefinitely” pause plans to develop an “erotic” mode for ChatGPT.

The proposed “adult mode,” which CEO Sam Altman first mooted in October, had sparked controversy technical watchdog groups as well as from OpenAI’s own staff. In January, a heated meeting emerged between company executives and the board of advisors, with one of the advisors warning that OpenAI could be developing a “sexy suicide coach,” The Wall Street Journal previously reported.

Amid all the criticism, the feature was released postponed several times.

FT notes that the erotic feature film now has no timeline for release. When TechCrunch reached out for comment, an OpenAI spokesperson said the company had “nothing further to add.”

Adult mode is just the latest side quest that OpenAI has abandoned in the past week as the AI ​​giant consolidates its focus. On Tuesday, the company quietly announced that it would prioritize Instant Checkout, a feature within ChatGPT that had attempted to turn the chatbot into a purchasing portal where users could purchase items from e-commerce websites. Then the company surprisingly announced on Wednesday that it would shut down Sora, its AI video generator. Sora was criticized inspires the flood of AI ‘slop’ which has swept the internet since its launch in 2024.

All the changes come about a week after The Wall Street Journal reported that OpenAI would be making a “major strategy shift” to move the company away from distractions so it could focus on its primary focus: business users and programmers.

Why did OpenAI choose this specific moment to remove and retain the distraction? Maybe it’s because it’s feeling the heat from Anthropic, which has doggedly released a range of coding and business tools in recent months – and seen significant success in customer acquisition as a result.

The two companies have also been open argue over Pentagon contracts – a battle that OpenAI appears to have won. The time came three weeks ago announced a $200 million deal at the Department of Defense, while Anthropic is now embroiled in a legal battle with the agency.

In short, if recent developments tell us anything, it looks like the future of AI is likely to be less about porn and memes and more about business and war.