5OpenAI Release Notes·
OpenAI rolls out age prediction model on ChatGPT to apply teen safeguards
OpenAI is deploying a behavioral and account-level age prediction model on ChatGPT consumer plans to identify users likely under 18 and apply appropriate safeguards. The model uses signals including account age, activity timing, usage patterns, and stated age. Adults incorrectly flagged can verify their age via selfie through Persona, a third-party identity verification service.
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OpenAI Building Age Prediction and Parental Controls in ChatGPT
OpenAI is developing age prediction capabilities and parental control features within ChatGPT to deliver age-appropriate experiences for teenage users. The initiative aims to support families with new safety tools and restrict content based on inferred or verified user age. This represents a product-safety effort at the intersection of AI deployment and child protection policy.
OpenAI Updates Model Spec with Under-18 Teen Protection Principles
OpenAI is revising its Model Spec to include new Under-18 Principles that govern how ChatGPT interacts with teenage users. The update introduces stronger guardrails and age-appropriate behavioral guidance grounded in developmental science. This builds on OpenAI's broader ongoing effort to improve safety for minors using ChatGPT.
OpenAI Releases Teen Safety Policies for Developers via gpt-oss-safeguard
OpenAI has published prompt-based teen safety policies targeting developers who build on its models, specifically leveraging the gpt-oss-safeguard model to moderate age-specific risks. The release provides structured guidance and tooling for filtering or adjusting AI outputs in contexts where minors may be users. This represents an extension of OpenAI's safety infrastructure into the developer-facing layer, addressing regulatory and reputational pressure around youth-facing AI deployments.
Building more helpful ChatGPT experiences for everyone
OpenAI is announcing a set of ChatGPT safety and helpfulness improvements including new parental controls for teen users, routing of sensitive conversations to reasoning models, and partnerships with external experts. The update reflects OpenAI's ongoing effort to balance accessibility with safeguards across different user demographics. Routing sensitive queries to reasoning models is a notable architectural/policy decision that may affect response quality and safety outcomes.
OpenAI begins testing ads in ChatGPT for Free and Go tier users in the U.S.
OpenAI is rolling out an ad test in ChatGPT for logged-in adult users on Free and Go tiers in the United States, with paid plans (Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, Education) remaining ad-free. Ads are clearly labeled, visually separated from answers, and personalized using in-session data that is not shared with advertisers. The system excludes ads from sensitive topics (health, mental health, politics) and users predicted to be under 18, with user controls for dismissal and data deletion.
Testing ads in ChatGPT
OpenAI has announced it is beginning to test advertising within ChatGPT as a mechanism to support free-tier access. The company states ads will be clearly labeled, will not influence answer content, and will include privacy protections and user controls. This marks a significant monetization strategy shift for OpenAI's flagship consumer product.
Evaluating Fairness in ChatGPT
OpenAI published an analysis of how ChatGPT responds differently to users based on their names, using AI research assistants to conduct the evaluation while protecting user privacy. The study examines potential demographic or identity-based disparities in model outputs. This represents OpenAI's ongoing internal fairness and bias evaluation work on its flagship product.
OpenAI Improves ChatGPT Mental Health Responses with Expert Collaboration
OpenAI worked with over 170 mental health experts to enhance ChatGPT's handling of sensitive conversations involving distress. The update improves the model's ability to recognize emotional distress, respond with empathy, and direct users to real-world support resources. OpenAI reports a reduction in unsafe responses of up to 80% as a result of these changes.