OpenAI shelves ChatGPT erotic mode indefinitely

OpenAI has abandoned development of an "adult mode" for ChatGPT, a feature that would have let users generate explicit sexual content. According to the Financial Times, the project is frozen indefinitely, and no date has been given for a possible restart.

The decision came after the idea met serious resistance inside the company: employees and a number of major investors opposed it, pointing to the potentially harmful consequences of sexualized AI for society. Critics warned of the risks of deepfake pornography, the exploitation of minors, and the normalization of toxic content through systems that reach hundreds of millions of users.

It is the second high-profile project OpenAI has wound down in recent months. The company earlier ended development of the text-to-video platform Sora, citing "internal discussions about research priorities." Both decisions fit a broader logic: in December 2024, CEO Sam Altman declared a "code red" inside the company, signaling the need to focus on core products and drop side experiments.

The backdrop is not simple. OpenAI competes with Google, Anthropic and Meta* for leadership in a market where every reputational shock echoes through enterprise sales. Large customers such as banks, law firms and hospitals react badly to any association with questionable content. An erotic mode would have created exactly that risk without delivering comparable strategic value.

Notably, the market for adult AI content is itself growing fast: specialized platforms built on open models or via APIs attract a significant audience. OpenAI is effectively leaving that niche to competitors, choosing the image of "responsible AI" over additional monetization.

For industry watchers, the episode is telling: even the world's largest AI company has lines it is unwilling to cross, not because of technical limits but under pressure from its internal culture and investors. The question is how long that restraint will last if competitors start winning audiences in adjacent segments.

*Meta is designated an extremist organization and banned in Russia.