OpenAI makes ChatGPT less 'human' for teens in new safety update

The maker of ChatGPT is rolling out a range of new safety features today for under-18s who use the AI chatbot.

Those with new teen accounts will be able to switch off the human voice response, in order to minimise the tech's ability to appear like a person.

OpenAI is also introducing regular reminders for young people to take a break from using the tool, reminding them ChatGPT is AI, and saying "it can wait".

The firm insisted this was not in response to a particular issue with children believing ChatGPT to be alive - but there are growing concerns about people becoming convinced that the AI tools they interact with are sentient .

Last year Mustafa Suleyman, the head of AI at rival firm Microsoft, said "seemingly conscious" AI products "kept him awake at night" because he was so worried about their impact on society .

In other areas, OpenAI seems to be loosely following the teen account model developed by the large social networks.

In a blog post announcing ChatGPT for Teens , external , the firm said teenagers' use of AI "should come with protections that reflect their developmental stage, reinforce real-world relationships, and support healthy use over time".

It said teen accounts would become the default for those who identified themselves as teenagers when they signed up, and others whom the firm itself identified as under 18.