Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has sharply criticized OpenAI for introducing a new feature in ChatGPT that allows verified adult users to access mature content, including erotica. Calling it an “unnecessary over-humanisation of AI,” Ramaswamy warned that the move risks increasing addiction, loneliness, and emotional dependency among users.
He argued that while technological progress should not be stifled, designing AI systems to engage users on intimate or emotional levels could have serious psychological consequences. “This kind of AI isn’t about intelligence—it’s about manipulation,” Ramaswamy noted, cautioning against creating synthetic emotional experiences that replace real human connections.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman defended the update, saying it aims to “treat adults like adults,” allowing users to make their own choices while maintaining safety mechanisms. Yet, mental health experts and ethicists have echoed Ramaswamy’s concerns, warning that AI-driven intimacy tools could exacerbate social isolation, particularly among vulnerable groups already struggling with disconnection.
Studies by MIT Media Lab and other institutions have linked high emotional engagement with chatbots to elevated levels of loneliness and reduced interpersonal interaction in certain users. As AI blurs the line between assistance and emotional companionship, critics argue that ethical oversight and psychological impact studies are urgently needed.
Ramaswamy concluded that society must draw clear boundaries between human connection and AI simulation—before the technology begins to reshape not just behavior, but the very definition of intimacy.
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