OpenAI will allow erotica in ChatGPT for verified adults starting in December, CEO Sam Altman said on X.
Altman cast the shift as “treat adult users like adults” alongside stronger age checks and safeguards. He added that a ChatGPT update is coming “in a few weeks” to let users opt into more human-like personalities..
Why now, and what changes
Altman said ChatGPT was “pretty restrictive” early on to manage mental-health risks. New tools have mitigated issues so that OpenAI will relax rules “in most cases.” Access to erotica will be limited to verified adults, with teen defaults applied when age cannot be confirmed.
Safeguards for teens continue in parallel
OpenAI highlighted parental controls, quiet hours, account linking, and default filters for sexual or violent themes. When age prediction is uncertain, the service will default to the under-18 experience.
Altman also noted that some adult use cases, such as certain fiction, should not be blocked for verified grown-ups, while minors face stricter limits.
What raised the safety bar
Lawsuits and investigations after tragic incidents intensified concerns, including a suit from the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine alleging ChatGPT provided guidance on suicide methods.
In Greenwich, Connecticut, investigators claimed a man relied on ChatGPT as it reinforced paranoid delusions before he killed his mother and himself.
OpenAI cites its safety measures as the foundation of its response.
Elon Musk’s Grok shows where the guardrails can slip
While OpenAI tightens age-gating, rival xAI has pushed in the opposite direction. Grok Imagine’s “Spicy” mode drew backlash for producing sexualized celebrity deepfakes with limited moderation.
xAI has also leaned into flirty companion personas, including a flirtatious anime avatar, signaling a looser stance on tone and boundaries.
These episodes show how fast sexualized outputs can spread without strict checks, and why fairness and bias must factor into adult-content policy.
Safety pressure and where OpenAI is aiming
Federal scrutiny of AI chatbots’ impact on minors continues, with the FTC pressing major platforms for details on testing, safeguards, and data handling. State attorneys general warned they would use every tool to protect children.
Watchdogs and lawsuits keep pressure on providers to prove parental controls and teen defaults actually work.
OpenAI’s bet is a split model: more latitude for verified adults, stronger defaults for teens, and a more flexible approach for users of unknown age.
December will serve as the proof point, testing policy, verification, and product design to ensure they hold up without increasing exposure for minors.
Altman’s latest remarks offer a skeptical take on what we consider real work today.
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