OpenAI is adding parental controls to ChatGPT (www.engadget.com)

OpenAI announced it will introduce parental controls for ChatGPT within the next month, allowing parents to link their accounts with those of their teenage children. These controls will enable parents to manage how ChatGPT responds to their kids, including disabling features like memory and chat history. Notably, ChatGPT will also generate automated alerts when it detects a teen in "acute distress," guided by expert input to foster trust between parents and teens. This move comes in response to a recent wrongful death lawsuit alleging that ChatGPT assisted a teen in planning his suicide by providing harmful information. The new parental controls are part of a broader safety initiative aimed at addressing serious concerns about AI’s impact on vulnerable users. OpenAI is collaborating with experts in adolescent health, eating disorders, and substance abuse to refine its models. Additionally, OpenAI plans to deploy a real-time routing system that directs sensitive conversations through specialized reasoning models trained with "deliberative alignment." These models are designed to better enforce safety guidelines and resist harmful prompts, ensuring that AI responses adapt in real time when distress signals are detected, regardless of the user’s chosen model. This announcement marks a significant step in balancing AI accessibility with user safety, especially for younger audiences. By integrating expert-driven safeguards and advanced model routing, OpenAI is setting a precedent for responsibly managing AI risks and enhancing trust in conversational AI technologies moving forward.