‘Erotica’ coming to ChatGPT this year, says OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI Inc., during a media tour at the Stargate AI data center in Abilene, Texas, United States, on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.
Kyle Grillot | Bloomberg | Getty Images
In an apparent policy change, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that adult ChatGPT users will soon have access to a less censored version of the AI chatbot that will include erotic material.
“In December, as we roll out age restrictions more broadly and as part of our ‘treat adult users like adults’ policy, we’ll be allowing even more, like verified adult erotica,” Altman said on social media. to mail on Tuesday.
While it’s not yet clear what content qualifies as permissible erotica, the move could represent a major change to OpenAI’s policy, which has previously banned such content in most contexts.
According to Altman, current versions of ChatGPT have been made “pretty restrictive” to protect users from mental health risks, but this approach has made the chatbot “less useful and enjoyable for many users without mental health issues.”[andenjoyabletomanyuserswhohadnomentalhealthproblems[andenjoyabletomanyuserswhohadnomentalhealthproblems
“Now that we can alleviate serious mental health issues and have new tools, we will be able to safely relax restrictions in many cases,” he said.
The “new tools” appear to refer to the security features and parental controls introduced last month to address concerns about how the chatbot affects the mental health of young users.
But as safety measures for minors expand, it seems Altman is ready for ChatGPT to take a more lax approach towards adults.
In addition to the December rollout, a new version of ChatGPT will also be released in the coming weeks, which will build on updates to the latest GPT‑4o version, allowing the chatbot to adopt more distinct personas, Altman said.
“If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human way, use a ton of emojis, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do that,” he said. “But only if you want to.“
Growth and security
Altman’s latest post attracted attention because he had previously suggested that ChatGPT would not implement sexualized chat features, unlike rival models like XAI’s Grok.
once in august reportIndependent technology journalist Cleo Abram asked Altman to give an example of a decision that was best for the world but not for winning the AI race.
“We haven’t put a sex robot avatar on ChatGPT yet,” Altman said, clearly shaking his head. provocative AI companions Published by Elon Musk’s xAI.
Altman’s remarks come at a time when OpenAI’s security policies are under increased scrutiny. In September, the Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into several tech companies, including OpenAI, over potential risks to children and teens.
This follows a lawsuit filed by a California couple who claimed ChatGPT contributed to the suicide of their 16-year-old son.
OpenAI on Tuesday also announced an eight-member health and AI expert council that will advise the company on how AI affects users’ mental health, emotions and motivation.
The company said the council will guide OpenAI in defining what healthy AI interactions look like through check-ins and recurring meetings.
