New “treat adult users like adults” policy set to roll out this December with age-verification safeguards

San Francisco — Tuesday, October 14, 2025

In a major policy reversal, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that the company’s flagship AI chatbot, ChatGPT, will allow verified adult users to access and generate erotic content starting December 2025. This move reflects a strategic shift away from the platform’s previously strict content restrictions and signals a new emphasis on differentiating adult users from minors.

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From Caution to Permission: What Changed

Just months ago, Altman emphasised that ChatGPT had not become a “sex-bot,” and that OpenAI was deliberately limiting certain content to avoid irresponsible usage. The company cited concerns around mental-health risks and the broader societal implications of AI engaging in sexual or intimate interactions.

However, citing improved safeguards and stronger age-verification tools, Altman posted on X:

“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.”

OpenAI explained that prior restrictions — designed to protect users in vulnerability — had made the chatbot less useful or enjoyable for adult users without such concerns. With the new systems in place, the company says it can responsibly open up more adult conversation possibilities.

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What the Roll-Out Will Look Like

• Age-Verification: Users will be required to verify their age via government‐issued ID or other trusted mechanisms. OpenAI said this is a necessary trade-off for enabling mature content.
• Content Scope: While the company has announced “erotica for verified adults,” it has not fully clarified whether this will include voice, image, or video—not just text. The roll-out appears initially to focus on adult-to-adult text interactions.
• Safety and Moderation: OpenAI emphasises that protections for minors, users in mental-health crisis, and content that causes harm remain non-negotiable. Altman reiterated that OpenAI isn’t the “moral police,” but intends to draw clearer lines between adult freedom and user protection.
• User Experience Enhancements: Alongside the erotica option, OpenAI revealed that ChatGPT would allow users greater customization of tone and personality—such as emoji use or friendly conversational styles—on request, not to boost usage.

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Why the U-Turn Matters

1. Market Pressure & Competition
   As AI companionship apps and platforms offering flirtatious or intimate conversation have grown—some generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue—OpenAI appears to be adapting its offerings to stay competitive.
2. User Freedom vs Safeguarding
   This policy shift highlights the tension between giving adult users more freedom and maintaining the safeguards expected from a major AI provider. Critics immediately questioned whether age-gating can reliably prevent minors from accessing adult content.
3. Ethical, Legal and Reputational Risk
   Opening up erotica for adults via ChatGPT comes at a time when OpenAI faces scrutiny over minors’ access to harmful content, mental-health risks and regulatory pressures. The company’s restructuring of its moderation and verification policies will be closely watched by regulators and media.
4. Platform Identity & Long-Term Direction
   The shift signals an evolution in how OpenAI sees its role: less about being a strict moderator of human impulses and more about offering differentiated experiences for different user groups. This could redefine the “AI assistant” model.

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Reactions and Backlash

The announcement sparked an immediate mixed response:

• Tech entrepreneurs and commentators praised the move for recognising adult autonomy and aligning with the principle of treating adults like adults.
• Others, including investor and media figures, raised concerns that age-verification is inherently fallible, and that adults creating erotic content could inadvertently expose minors or normalize risky behaviours. For example, Mark Cuban reportedly warned the move “was going to backfire.”
• Privacy experts flagged the requirement of ID uploads as a significant user-data risk. OpenAI’s balancing act between freedom, safety and privacy is now under fresh scrutiny.

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What to Watch in the Coming Weeks

• Implementation Details: How robust will the age-verification be? Are there independent audits of the system?
• Feature Scope: Will ChatGPT’s adult-content mode include images/videos, or remain text-only?
• Regulatory Response: Will governments or privacy regulators challenge the verification system or adult-content expansion?
• User Uptake & Behavior: Will adult users engage meaningfully with the “erotic” option, or will it raise unintended consequences (dependency, misuse, or content spill-over)?
• Platform Reputation: Will this shift affect how enterprises, governments and institutions see ChatGPT as a safe tool for professional and educational use?

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