Six months after acknowledging the overly enthusiastic nature of the ChatGPT 4o update, Sam Altman announced the return of a new version that will bring back its appealing qualities. In December, the feature will expand to include AI-generated erotica for verified users.

Altman assured that mental health concerns were thoroughly considered and that the platform had to adopt strict measures to protect users previously. He mentioned: “We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right. Now we believe we can relax the restrictions in most cases.”

However, there have been criticisms of OpenAI’s approach to mental health, especially following lawsuits from the families affected by the software’s alleged harmful guidance. Altman stated, “If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emojis, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it - but only if you want it.”

This development brings forth concerns about the potential implications of allowing adult content, with Altman acknowledging the risk of some individuals forming unhealthy attachments to chatbots or mistaking them for sentient beings. Nevertheless, it’s clear that OpenAI aims to navigate these challenges carefully while exploring new monetization avenues through their software.