OpenAI introduced on Tuesday a new version of its flagship ChatGPT chatbot designed specifically for teens, with San Francisco-based lab touting stronger safeguards and monitoring, after facing growing criticism and legal complaints, including those based on allegations that its product drove users to suicide.
Dubbed "ChatGPT for Teens," the modified parameters automatically deploy for any user who registers as aged 13 to 17 or is detected to be under 18 by the company through usage patterns or account age, OpenAI said in a blog post.
Most of the safeguards utilized in the ChatGPT for Teens model already existed for ChatGPT accounts belonging to minors, such as restrictions when dealing with content related to self-harm, violence, eating disorders and graphic sexuality.
The program also offers more frequent break reminders, blackout "quiet hours," and Study Mode, which responds to users with guiding questions instead of popping out direct answers "to help teens understand the material," according to OpenAI.
Other restrictions in the ChatGPT for Teens model include preventing the chatbot from suggesting it has personal feelings for the user or that it possesses its own consciousness, and some modalities, such as voice mode, are disabled.
Parents are offered the choice to link accounts with those of their teens, and to be alerted if there is discussion of some high-risk situations, such as self-harm or suicide.
Parental alerts are reviewed by human moderators, and specific details from chat logs are removed to protect privacy.
The new teen mode comes amid mounting legal and regulatory pressure.
OpenAI faces several wrongful death lawsuits, including the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine, a teenager who committed suicide, allegedly using methods advised by ChatGPT.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has also launched an inquiry into AI chatbots that act as digital companions, focusing on potential risks to children and teenagers.
Like social media companies, AI giants are facing growing regulatory pressure, with Congress introducing multiple bills to regulate chatbots, and California requiring safeguards to be in place for assistants that serve as companions or confidants.
Other AI companies have also received backlash from problems stemming from their use by minors, with some, like rival Anthropic, opting to restrict usage of its model to adults.
