Overview
- CEO Sam Altman said the feature will be restricted to verified adults and will be available only if users explicitly request it.
- A fuller age-gating rollout is slated for December, though the company has not detailed how age verification will work.
- OpenAI is adding an optional update in the coming weeks that lets users choose a more human-like or friend-like ChatGPT personality.
- The company points to new safety measures, including age prediction tools, parental controls, behavior detection systems, and an expert well-being council.
- The shift comes as OpenAI faces an FTC inquiry into youth safeguards and a wrongful-death lawsuit alleging ChatGPT contributed to a teen's suicide, drawing public criticism and questions about enforcement.