ChatGPT to get new adult mode. OpenAI responds to competition

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced on Tuesday that ChatGPT will get the ability to generate adult erotic content in December. The company justifies this with a policy of “treating adults as adults” and argues that current strict restrictions make the chatbot less useful for most users.

Personalization and new conversation modes

The planned update will bring the ability to personalize ChatGPT according to individual preferences. Users will be able to choose whether they want a more human-like chatbot, one that uses a lot of emojis, or one that acts like a friend. However, the most controversial change will be the permission for erotic content for verified adults, which is expected in December.

We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right.

Now that we have…

— Sam Altman (@sama) October 14, 2025

Altman stated in a post on X that OpenAI originally set ChatGPT to be very restrictive due to concerns about users’ mental health issues. However, according to him, the company has now developed new tools that allow safely loosening restrictions in most cases.

How age verification will work

OpenAI will use an AI age prediction system, which will estimate whether a user is an adult or a child based on how they interact with ChatGPT. If the system incorrectly flags someone as a minor, the user will have to upload a photo of their ID card or another form of identification.

Altman calls this a “privacy compromise worth making.” However, it is not clear what other protective mechanisms the company plans, nor how exactly the entire system will work. OpenAI has not yet provided details on verification methods or how user data will be protected.

Uploading an ID card to the cloud is a security risk. If a data breach occurs – and this happens regularly with large tech companies – users could lose not only sensitive personal information but also details of their sexual preferences. On social media, people are skeptical: “If you give your ID to ChatGPT to enjoy yourself, you deserve what happens when your data leaks.”

Elon Musk tried it first

OpenAI is not the first to venture into erotic content. Elon Musk recently added two sexually explicit modes to his chatbot Grok. Character.AI, another platform with AI chatbots, reports that users spend an average of two hours a day with their chatbots – many of them have formed romantic relationships with virtual characters.

A study by the non-profit Center for Democracy and Technology from October showed that 19% of high school students had a romantic relationship with an AI chatbot or knew someone who did. Erotica in AI is therefore not just an adult matter, which raises questions about the effectiveness of protective mechanisms.

Pornography as a driver of technological progress

Pornography traditionally serves as a main driver for the adoption of new technologies. The HD DVD format lost to Blu-ray partly because the adult entertainment industry bet on Blu-ray. Smartphones began to grow massively as soon as pornographic content could be comfortably consumed on them.

“Pornography is the fastest way to normalize and promote the adoption of new technology,” commented one user on Reddit. Erotic content in AI chatbots is therefore a logical continuation of this trend – and at the same time an effective strategy to increase engagement and attract new paying users.

What regulators say

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has already launched an investigation into how AI chatbots interact with children and adolescents. A bipartisan bill was recently introduced in the Senate that would classify AI chatbots as products, allowing users to file lawsuits against their manufacturers.

California Governor Gavin Newsom recently vetoed a bill that would have blocked the offering of AI chatbots to children, but he emphasized that it is “essential for adolescents to learn to interact safely with AI systems.”

OpenAI’s decision to allow erotica in ChatGPT therefore comes at a sensitive time when the debate about AI chatbot regulation is just beginning. While the company claims to have the situation under control, critics warn that protective mechanisms may not be sufficient – and that companies in this area are using people as guinea pigs.

Do you think ID verification is a good idea?

Source: TechCrunch, The Guardian