OpenAI to predict ages in bid to stop ChatGPT from discussing self harm with kids

OpenAI announced Tuesday that it is rolling out age prediction and identity verification systems in an effort to protect minors who use its services.

The announcement comes weeks after the parents of a teenager who killed himself sued the tech giant for allegedly helping their son draft a suicide note and giving him tips for how to do so most effectively. On Thursday, the Federal Trade Commission launched an inquiry into AI chatbots and child safety.

In a blog post on the OpenAI website, CEO Sam Altman said the company will “prioritize safety ahead of privacy and freedom for teens; this is a new and powerful technology, and we believe minors need significant protection.”

Altman said the firm is creating an age prediction system which will guess users’ ages based on how they interact with its ChatGPT chatbot. Identification will be required in some cases when the system cannot definitively determine a user’s age, the blog post said.

“We know this is a privacy compromise for adults but believe it is a worthy tradeoff,” Altman said in the post.

When ChatGPT is not sure a user is over age 18, it will default to settings designed for users under 18. Those settings will prevent the generative AI from discussing suicide or self harm even in creative writing contexts, the blog post said. They also will create an alert system through which company officials will be notified if the user is attempting to discuss suicide so that they can contact parents.

“If we are not confident about someone’s age or have incomplete information, we’ll take the safer route and default to the under-18 experience — and give adults ways to prove their age to unlock adult capabilities,” a related blog post said.