OpenAI: Prioritizing Family-Friendly AI Features

OpenAI is now prioritizing family-friendly features in its AI products. The company is hiring a dedicated product manager to develop experiences for families, caregivers, and older adults across all its products. This comes as ChatGPT's user base is diversifying. The share of global ChatGPT users aged 35 and older rose to 31% in the second quarter, up from 26% a year earlier. In the US, nearly one in four smartphone users who are parents used ChatGPT during the quarter. This strategic shift suggests OpenAI sees its products moving from individual tools to household technology. Experts note that AI raises the stakes because it directly interacts with users. The new role also addresses trust and safety challenges. OpenAI has faced lawsuits from parents claiming harm to children. The company has launched safety features, including parental controls for teen accounts and a "Trusted Contact" feature for potential self-harm situations. This focus on family-friendly features could mean safer and more relevant AI experiences for a wider range of users.