OpenAI plans to allow adult content, including erotica, on its ChatGPT platform for verified adult users starting in December, CEO Sam Altman announced on social media, marking a significant departure from the company's previously restrictive content policies.
The move represents part of a broader shift away from the cautious approach the company initially adopted due to mental health concerns that affected the user experience for millions. "We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues," Altman wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). "We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right."
The adult content access will be implemented alongside comprehensive age verification systems as part of what Altman described as OpenAI's "treat adult users like adults" principle. "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," he stated.
The policy changes will unfold in two distinct phases, with the first wave of modifications arriving within weeks. The initial rollout will focus on personality customization and conversational flexibility, allowing users to tailor their ChatGPT experience to be more engaging and human-like. "In a few weeks, we plan to put out a new version of ChatGPT that allows people to have a personality that behaves more like what people liked about 4o (we hope it will be better!)," Altman announced.
This early phase will give users unprecedented control over how the AI system interacts with them. "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 (but only if you want it, not because we are usage-maxxing)," Altman explained, emphasizing that the changes are designed to serve user preferences rather than maximize platform engagement.
The announcement suggests OpenAI has successfully developed new safety mechanisms that allow for more permissive content while protecting vulnerable users. "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," Altman said.
