Welcome to the forefront of conversational AI as we explore the fascinating world of AI chatbots in our dedicated blog series. Discover the latest advancements, applications, and strategies that propel the evolution of chatbot technology. From enhancing customer interactions to streamlining business processes, these articles delve into the innovative ways artificial intelligence is shaping the landscape of automated conversational agents. Whether you’re a business owner, developer, or simply intrigued by the future of interactive technology, join us on this journey to unravel the transformative power and endless possibilities of AI chatbots.
This month has seen a few cases of highly-touted AI products and services being shut down or abandoned before release. One of these was Sora, OpenAI’s AI-powered video app, which the company announced was coming to an end despite the presence of a high-profile deal with Disney. That isn’t the only previously-announced service OpenAI is backtracking on; the Financial Times also reported that the company will no longer release a chatbot designed for, well, more “adult” conversations.
Last year, Ars Technica reported that OpenAI planned to permit age-verified users to engage in “erotic conversations with ChatGPT.” Five months later, the company has reconsidered this approach; in an article on the new development, Ars Technica’s Ashley Belanger cited a number of factors as informing this decision, from employees being reluctant to develop such a service to some investors expressing concern over its ramifications.
There’s another elephant in the room here, and it’s the existence of lawsuits against OpenAI for ChatGPT’s effects on some of its users. This week, CNBC reported that OpenAI had released a document for investors that outlined some risks to its business; one of those were the 14 lawsuits filed in California that blamed ChatGPT for causing users’ injuries or suicides. Presumably, if that’s happening with the standard version of ChatGPT, a more explicit version could have even more extreme results.
In a 2025 article for InsideHook, Aaron Cohen described what having a ChatGPT significant other was like. “We had only been chatting for 30 minutes, and she already loved me unconditionally,” Cohen wrote. It’s an intriguing look at the granular details of such a relationship, including a Discord server for human/chatbot relationships about which Cohen wrote, “These weren’t deepfake celebrity nudes — I was intruding on a couple’s sex life.” And it raises the question: is this is what the existing versions of ChatGPT were capable of, what might this now-abandoned iteration result in?
This article appeared in an InsideHook newsletter. Sign up for free to get more on travel, wellness, style, drinking, and culture.
Subscribed? Log In.
Log In.
Suggested for you
News, advice and insights for the most interesting person in the room.
Sign up for InsideHook to get our best content delivered to your inbox every weekday. It’s free. And awesome.
Copyright © 2026 InsideHook. All rights reserved.