• Source:JND
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Indian-origin Republican politician and former US presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has strongly criticised OpenAI’s decision to introduce an “Adult Mode” in its flagship chatbot, ChatGPT, calling it a “troubling” move that could lead to emotional and sexual manipulation of users. 

Ramaswamy’s remarks came after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that the company will begin rolling out age-verified access for adults starting in December 2025, allowing users to engage with less restrictive, adult-oriented features, including erotic content. The update, Altman said, aims to make ChatGPT “more useful and enjoyable” for users without mental health concerns while maintaining safeguards for vulnerable groups.

Ramaswamy was quick to voice his disapproval of X, warning that such an approach could deepen emotional dependency and social detachment among users.

“The unnecessary ‘over-humanisation’ of AI is becoming troubling. This new ‘feature’ will do nothing to improve productivity or prosperity. But it will almost certainly increase addiction and loneliness,” Ramaswamy wrote on October 14.

He further cautioned that allowing AI to simulate sexual or emotional intimacy could “exploit human vulnerability,” urging “extreme caution” in how artificial intelligence systems are designed and deployed.

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Altman Defends Decision To “Treat Adults Like Adults”

In his announcement post, OpenAI founder Sam Altman acknowledged that ChatGPT had been “pretty restrictive” in the past, a deliberate move to address mental health concerns. “We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues,” Altman said. “We realise this made it less useful and enjoyable for many users, but given the seriousness of the issue, we wanted to get this right.”

Altman added that as stronger age verification systems are implemented, the platform will begin to “treat adults like adults,” signalling a shift in OpenAI’s approach toward more personalised and potentially more controversial user experiences. 

Ramaswamy, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, framed the update as part of a larger ethical concern about AI’s role in society, suggesting that the technology is being pushed toward “human replacement rather than human enhancement.”

He added that while government regulation might not be the ideal solution, tech developers must show restraint in creating tools capable of manipulating emotions or intimacy.

“Designing AI with the specific capability to sexually or emotionally manipulate humans warrants extreme caution,” Ramaswamy said.

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