Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI Inc., during a media tour of the Stargate AI data center in Abilene, Texas, USA, on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.
Kyle Grillot | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Adult ChatGPT users will soon have access to a less censored version of the artificial intelligence chatbot that includes erotic material, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced in an apparent shift in policy.
“In December, we will more fully roll out age restrictions and allow even more things, including certified adult erotica, as part of our ‘Treat Adult Users Like Adults’ principle,” Altman said in a social media post Tuesday.
While it remains unclear what content would be allowed as erotica, the move could represent a major change in OpenAI’s policies, which previously prohibited such content in most circumstances.
Altman said the current version of ChatGPT was made to be “pretty restrictive” to protect users from mental health risks, but that approach made the chatbot “less useful and more fun for many users who don’t have mental health issues.”
“Now that we have alleviated serious mental health issues and now have new tools, we will be able to safely ease restrictions in most cases,” he said.
The “new tools” appear to refer to safety features and parental controls introduced last month to address concerns about how chatbots are affecting the mental health of young users.
But as protections for minors expand, Altman seems poised for ChatGPT to take a more relaxed approach toward adults.
In addition to the December rollout, Altman also said that a new version of ChatGPT will be rolled out in the coming weeks, building on updates to the latest GPT-4o version and allowing chatbots to adopt more distinct personalities.
“If you want to respond to ChatGPT in a very human way, use tons of emojis, and act like a friend, ChatGPT is the way to do it,” he said. “But only if you want it.”
growth and security
Altman’s latest post gained attention because he previously indicated that ChatGPT would not implement sexual chat features, unlike rival models such as XAI’s Grok.
In an interview in August, independent technology journalist Cleo Abram asked Altman to give an example of a decision he made that was in the best interest of the world but not in the interest of winning the AI race.
“Well, we don’t have sexbot avatars in ChatGPT yet,” Altman said, an obvious nod to the provocative AI companions released by Elon Musk’s xAI.
Altman’s comments come as OpenAI faces increased scrutiny over its safety policies. In September, the Federal Trade Commission began investigating multiple technology companies, including OpenAI, over potential risks to children and adolescents.
This followed a lawsuit from a California couple who claimed ChatGPT contributed to their 16-year-old son’s suicide.
OpenAI on Tuesday also announced an eight-member expert council on wellbeing and AI to advise the company on how artificial intelligence impacts users’ mental health, emotions and motivation.
The council will guide OpenAI in defining what healthy AI interactions look like through check-ins and regular meetings, the company said.
