Artificial intelligence does not need to ask the user about their age every time to determine the appropriate experience for them, as OpenAI has begun to adopt a system to estimate whether an account belongs to someone under 18 years old, based on a set of indicators related to account activity and how the service is used. According to the company, this mechanism aims to activate additional protection measures for teenagers, even when the user has entered their date of birth when creating the account.
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The system does not rely on a single decisive signal, but rather gathers behavioral indicators and account-related information to estimate the likely age group. If it suggests that the user is a minor, it may automatically move them to the GBT Teen Chat experience, which includes additional restrictions on certain types of content and interactions, while still allowing for learning, creativity, and asking questions.
OpenAI states that its system uses a set of indicators, but it does not publish detailed weights for each indicator or a mathematical formula that determines how these signals collectively influence the decision. Based on information published by the company on its official help page, five key indicators can be identified:
OpenAI says the system may take into account general topics that a user discusses with GBT chat, and these topics fall under a set of signals that help estimate the age group, but it does not mean that discussing a particular topic proves that its owner is a minor.
Service usage times
The system looks at the typical times when a user is active, including the times of day when they access the service. The company says this indicator is used within a range of behavioral cues, without publishing details that might suggest a particular age.
The estimation mechanism takes into account the time that has passed since the account was created. This is an indicator related to the account itself, and not a direct indication of the age of its owner. The account may be recent for an adult or old for a young user.
What happens when ChatGBT determines that a user is under 18 years old?
According to OpenAI’s official help page, the system may automatically enable the Teen GBT Chat Experience when it determines that an account belongs to someone under 18 and is eligible for this experience, and the account remains active, with additional safeguards and restrictions applied to some content and features.
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