OpenAI shelves erotic chatbot as it goes for growth

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OpenAI has “indefinitely” shelved plans to release an erotic chatbot. Employees and investors reportedly raised concerns about the harm that sexualised AI content has on society. Problems faced by other tech firms provide some immediate context: X was heavily criticised at the start of this year after non-consensual sexual deepfakes proliferated on the site. But OpenAI is also eager to streamline its products as it searches for a path to profitability. The firm has also discontinued Sora, a text-to-video AI platform and bête noire of Hollywood. CEO Sam Altman declared a “code red” in December, delaying other initiatives and urging staff to improve ChatGPT to keep it ahead of the pack. It would be understandable if he was feeling the pressure. OpenAI has hundreds of billions on the line, not all of which is its own money.