Microsoft 's AI chief Mustafa Suleyman is essentially drawing a line against AI-generated erotica, which the company's longtime partner OpenAI recently offered in ChatGPT, calling the service ‘dangerous’. The CEO of Microsoft AI said that the tech giant will not build AI services offering “simulated erotica,” explicitly distancing Microsoft from OpenAI's recent announcement that it would allow adult users to generate erotic content with ChatGPT.
“That's just not a service we're going to provide. Other companies will build that,” Suleyman said at the Paley International Council Summit in Menlo Park, California.
Erotic a ‘very dangerous’ direction: Suleyman
Suleyman’s opposition to AI erotica purportedly stems from his broader philosophy that tech companies shouldn’t create AI that seems conscious or capable of suffering. In August, he warned in an essay that conscious-seeming AIs may create a new “axis of division” between humans and machines. Suleyman argued this scenario is already unfolding, primarily through erotica-focused AI services.
Suleyman seems to have been pointing towards OpenAI as well as Elon Musk's Grok chatbot, which launched companion features earlier this year. Grok’s offering includes a female anime character designed for intimate interactions.
“You can already see it with some of these avatars and people leaning into the kind of sexbot erotica direction,” Suleyman was quoted as saying.
“This is very dangerous, and I think we should be making conscious decisions to avoid those kinds of things,” he added.
Notably, critics also worry that such services could isolate users, create unhealthy attachment patterns, or exploit vulnerable individuals.
The ‘growing rift’ with OpenAI
The comments come at a time when there are reports of increasing tension between Microsoft and OpenAI, despite Microsoft's position as a major investor and cloud infrastructure partner to the ChatGPT maker. Various reports have said that the two companies have built substantial AI businesses leveraging their respective strengths, however, cracks have developed in the relationship.
Microsoft has begun focusing more heavily on its own AI services rather than relying exclusively on OpenAI. Moreover, Microsoft unveiled features for its Copilot AI chatbot, including an AI companion called Mico that can respond to users through voice calls and express emotions by changing colors.
Meanwhile, OpenAI has been diversifying its partnerships beyond Microsoft, recently striking deals with Microsoft rivals including Google and Oracle .
“That's just not a service we're going to provide. Other companies will build that,” Suleyman said at the Paley International Council Summit in Menlo Park, California.
Erotic a ‘very dangerous’ direction: Suleyman
Suleyman’s opposition to AI erotica purportedly stems from his broader philosophy that tech companies shouldn’t create AI that seems conscious or capable of suffering. In August, he warned in an essay that conscious-seeming AIs may create a new “axis of division” between humans and machines. Suleyman argued this scenario is already unfolding, primarily through erotica-focused AI services.
Suleyman seems to have been pointing towards OpenAI as well as Elon Musk's Grok chatbot, which launched companion features earlier this year. Grok’s offering includes a female anime character designed for intimate interactions.
“You can already see it with some of these avatars and people leaning into the kind of sexbot erotica direction,” Suleyman was quoted as saying.
“This is very dangerous, and I think we should be making conscious decisions to avoid those kinds of things,” he added.
Notably, critics also worry that such services could isolate users, create unhealthy attachment patterns, or exploit vulnerable individuals.
The ‘growing rift’ with OpenAI
The comments come at a time when there are reports of increasing tension between Microsoft and OpenAI, despite Microsoft's position as a major investor and cloud infrastructure partner to the ChatGPT maker. Various reports have said that the two companies have built substantial AI businesses leveraging their respective strengths, however, cracks have developed in the relationship.
Microsoft has begun focusing more heavily on its own AI services rather than relying exclusively on OpenAI. Moreover, Microsoft unveiled features for its Copilot AI chatbot, including an AI companion called Mico that can respond to users through voice calls and express emotions by changing colors.
Meanwhile, OpenAI has been diversifying its partnerships beyond Microsoft, recently striking deals with Microsoft rivals including Google and Oracle .
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