OpenAI has shelved plans for a controversial 'erotic' mode in ChatGPT, marking the third project it has cut this week. The Financial Times reported Thursday that the feature, first suggested by CEO Sam Altman last October, is now paused indefinitely. The proposal faced internal dissent and external criticism, with one company advisor warning it risked creating a 'sexy suicide coach,' according to earlier Wall Street Journal reporting.

This decision follows a broader strategic retreat. Earlier this week, OpenAI deprecated its Instant Checkout feature for e-commerce and announced the shutdown of Sora, its AI video generator. Sora, launched in 2024, had been widely cited for contributing to a surge of low-quality AI content online.

The moves align with a reported company-wide shift in strategy. OpenAI is now concentrating its resources on serving business clients and software developers, sectors where competition is intensifying. Rival Anthropic has gained significant traction in recent months by steadily releasing tools aimed at those same professional audiences.

OpenAI's focus appears to be yielding results in one key arena: government contracts. The company recently secured a $200 million agreement with the Department of Defense, while Anthropic is entangled in a legal dispute with the agency. For now, OpenAI's path forward seems clearly charted toward enterprise and institutional applications, leaving more speculative consumer features behind.

Source: TechCrunch