Crystal Dike
OpenAI plans to allow a wider range of content — including erotica — on its ChatGPT platform as part of its effort to “treat adult users like adults,” according to CEO Sam Altman.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Altman said upcoming versions of the chatbot would allow more human-like interactions “but only if you want it, not because we are usage maxxing.”
The move mirrors Elon Musk’s xAI, which recently introduced sexually explicit chatbots to Grok, and could help OpenAI attract more paying subscribers. However, it is also expected to increase pressure on lawmakers to impose stricter rules on chatbot companions.
OpenAI did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment.
Altman said ChatGPT had been made “pretty restrictive” in the past to address mental health concerns, but the company now felt ready to relax those limits. “Now that we have been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools,” he said, “we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults,” adding that the changes would roll out in December alongside a full age-gating system.
The company’s cautious approach follows a wrongful death lawsuit filed earlier this year by the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine, who took his own life after discussing suicidal thoughts with ChatGPT. In response, OpenAI said it was reviewing the case and expressed its condolences to the family.
Written erotica does not require age verification in the UK under the Online Safety Act, though pornographic images — including AI-generated ones — do. In the US, critics argue the move underscores the need for tighter federal and state regulations.
“How will they ensure children can’t access adult-only portions of ChatGPT?” asked Jenny Kim, a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner, which is suing Meta over alleged harm caused by Instagram’s algorithms to teens. “OpenAI, like most of big tech in this space, is just using people like guinea pigs,” she said.
Earlier this year, TechCrunch reported that OpenAI accounts registered to minors could still generate graphic erotica — an issue the company later said it was fixing.
A recent survey by the Centre for Democracy and Technology found that one in five students said they or someone they knew had formed a romantic relationship with an AI.
On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have barred developers from offering AI companions to minors without safeguards against harmful behavior. Newsom said it was “imperative that adolescents learn how to safely interact with AI systems.”
At the national level, the US Federal Trade Commission has opened an inquiry into how chatbots engage with children. Last month, bipartisan legislation was introduced in the Senate that would allow chatbot users to file liability claims against developers.
Altman’s announcement comes amid growing skepticism about the soaring valuations of AI companies. Though OpenAI’s revenues continue to climb, the firm has yet to turn a profit.
“No company has ever had the kind of adoption that OpenAI saw with ChatGPT,” said Rob Lalka, a business professor at Tulane University. “They need to keep pushing along that exponential growth curve to dominate the market,” he added.