OpenAI’s ChatGPT will soon allow 'erotica' for adults in major policy shift

Adult ChatGPT users can soon access a less censored version of the artificial intelligence chatbot, which will include erotic materials, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has announced in an apparent policy shift.

"In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our 'treat adult users like adults' principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults," Altman said in a social media post on Tuesday.

Though it remains unclear what material will qualify as permitted erotica, the move could represent a major shift in OpenAI's policy, which formerly prohibited such content in most contexts.

According to Altman, existing versions of ChatGPT were made "pretty restrictive" to protect users from mental health risks, but that approach made the chatbot "less useful [and enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems.

"Now that we have been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools, we are going to be able to safely relax the restrictions in most cases," he said.

Those "new tools" appear to refer to safety features and parental controls rolled out last month to address concerns over how the chatbot was impacting young users' mental health.

However, as safeguards for minors expand, it appears that Altman is ready for ChatGPT to take a looser approach for adults.

OpenAI hinted at a shift in February when language on its "Model Spec" page was updated to clarify that, in order to "maximize freedom" for users, only sexual content involving minors was prohibited. Still, erotica was considered to be "sensitive content" to be generated only in certain permitted contexts.

Besides the rollout in December, Altman also said a new version of ChatGPT will launch in the coming weeks, allowing the chatbot to adopt more distinct personalities — building on updates in the latest GPT‑4o version.

"If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it," he said. "But only if you want it."

After Altman's post on Tuesday, some social media users were quick to point out his previous statements suggesting that ChatGPT wouldn't implement sexualized chat features, unlike rival models such as xAI's Grok.

In an August interview, independent tech journalist Cleo Abram asked Altman to give an example of a decision he had made that was best for the world, but not for winning the AI race.

"Well, we haven't put a sex bot avatar in ChatGPT yet," Altman said in an apparent nod to provocative AI companions released by Elon Musk's xAI.

Altman's policy shift comes at a notable time for OpenAI, as it already faces increased scrutiny over its safety practices. In September, the Federal Trade Commission launched an inquiry into several tech companies, including OpenAI, over potential risks to children and teenagers.

That followed a lawsuit from a California couple who alleged that ChatGPT contributed to their 16-year-old son's suicide.

OpenAI on Tuesday also announced an eight-member expert council on well-being and AI to advise the company on how artificial intelligence affects users' mental health, emotions and motivation.

The council will guide OpenAI in defining what healthy AI interactions look like through check-ins and recurring meetings, the company said.