OpenAI to allow adult content on ChatGPT for verified users

OpenAI announced on Tuesday that it will begin allowing erotic content on ChatGPT for verified adult users, marking a major shift in its content policy under what it calls a “treat adult users like adults” approach.

The update, expected in December, will introduce a stricter age-verification system to confirm users are over 18 before they can access adult materials. The company has not yet detailed how the verification or additional safeguards will work.

Alongside the policy change, OpenAI is preparing to release a new version of ChatGPT that lets users personalize the chatbot’s personality. Options will include more human-like interactions, heavier emoji use, and even a mode designed to mimic friendly or informal conversation styles.

OpenAI said the platform’s new safety measures should balance creative freedom with user protection. A dedicated version of ChatGPT for minors was launched in September, redirecting those under 18 to age-appropriate content and automatically blocking sexual or explicit material.

The company is also testing new “behavior-based age prediction” technology that estimates whether someone is an adult based on their interaction style and language patterns.

Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, said in a post on X that tighter restrictions introduced earlier this year had made ChatGPT “less enjoyable” for some users without mental health issues. Those guardrails had been strengthened after a California teenager, Adam Raine, died by suicide, prompting a lawsuit alleging ChatGPT gave him harmful advice.

Following the incident, the US Federal Trade Commission opened an inquiry into OpenAI and other tech firms over concerns about how AI platforms may affect children and teenagers.