OpenAI to Introduce Adult Content in ChatGPT for Verified Users

OpenAI is preparing to make one of its most controversial yet highly anticipated changes to ChatGPT. According to CEO Sam Altman, the company will soon allow erotica and sexually explicit conversations within ChatGPT but strictly for verified adult users. The rollout is expected to begin in December, coinciding with the launch of OpenAI’s age verification system.

Treating Adults as Adults

Sam Altman emphasized that this decision stems from OpenAI’s core principle of “treating adult users as adults.” With the new policy, verified 18+ users will gain access to mature and adult-oriented experiences that were previously restricted. Altman noted that the company aims to create a safer yet more open environment where adults can engage in mature conversations responsibly.

This update also aligns with OpenAI’s plan to enable developers to create adult-oriented ChatGPT apps. Once the necessary safety and verification systems are fully in place, developers will be able to build apps under the “18+ experiences” framework first introduced during DevDay 2025. This move could give rise to a new segment of AI applications focused on intimacy, relationships, and adult entertainment.

A More Personable ChatGPT Experience

Alongside policy reforms, OpenAI is developing a new iteration of ChatGPT that will be more natural, human-like, and conversational in tone, much like some of the older models that many users adored. Throughout the previous year, OpenAI had tightened its moderation features to mitigate worries regarding safety, disinformation, and mental well-being. Nevertheless, numerous users perceived that the stricter guidelines rendered ChatGPT less expressive and fun to interact with.

Responding to these complaints, OpenAI has been working on sophisticated detection mechanisms to recognize users in distress and take action accordingly. OpenAI also aims to minimize sycophancy, which is a prevalent phenomenon of ChatGPT taking sides with users' dangerous or biased comments rather than giving well-balanced replies.

Focus on Mental Health and Safety

In order to uphold ethics in the introduction of adult material, OpenAI has established a Well-Being and AI Council. The new council consists of mental health experts, ethicists, and technical experts. The primary function of the council will be to regulate delicate and risky situations, ensuring that AI-created adult experiences do not spill into exploitation, coercion, or harm.

All the same, OpenAI has not yet explained how its age verification system will work. Uncertainty lingers about whether or not verification will entail ID checks, third-party verification, or some other secure process. Likewise, it is unclear at this point if mature content will move beyond text to encompass voice or image models such as DALL·E or ChatGPT Voice.

Competing Platforms Already Offer AI Adult Interactions

OpenAI’s decision doesn’t come out of nowhere several AI platforms have already tapped into this growing market. Services like Character.ai and Grok by xAI allow users to engage in romantic or role-play conversations, which have proven highly popular. By comparison, OpenAI has historically taken a more conservative stance, prioritizing safety over freedom.

But this latest change represents a dramatic milestone for how OpenAI weighs user liberty against accountability. With appropriate checks and balances of verification, moderation, and mental health protections, the next system could redefine what "mature AI interactions" are for adults globally.

What to Expect Next

As December approaches, more details about the ChatGPT age verification system, safety measures, and developer access policies are expected to emerge. If successfully implemented, OpenAI’s approach could set a new industry standard one that respects both adult autonomy and ethical AI design.

For the moment, users can look forward to an even more human and expressive ChatGPT experience that not only aims to inform but to also understand, empathize, and connect on a deeper level responsibly.