OpenAI to allow erotica on ChatGPT for verified adults, says Sam Altman

New Delhi: OpenAI plans to permit a wider range of content, including erotica, on its chatbot ChatGPT as part of its effort to “treat adult users like adults”, according to Chief Executive Sam Altman.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Altman said upcoming versions of the chatbot would enable it to behave in a more human-like way, “but only if you want it, not because we are usage maxxing”.

The move, which follows xAI’s recent introduction of sexually explicit chatbots on Grok, could help OpenAI attract more paying subscribers. It is also expected to increase pressure on lawmakers to introduce tighter restrictions on chatbot companions.

Altman said the company had previously made ChatGPT “pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues”. 

He noted that the restrictions had made the platform “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”.

He added that ChatGPT could soon relax the restrictions “now that we have been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools”.

“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,” Altman said.

The announcement follows a lawsuit filed earlier this year by Matt and Maria Raine, the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine, who took his own life.

The case was the first legal action accusing OpenAI of wrongful death and included chat logs in which Adam explained he had suicidal thoughts. At the time, OpenAI said it was reviewing the filing and extended “our deepest sympathies to the Raine family during this difficult time”.

Under the UK Online Safety Act, written erotica does not require age verification, although pornographic images, including AI-generated content, do require users to prove they are over 18.

In April, TechCrunch reported that OpenAI had allowed accounts registered as minors to generate graphic erotica, which the company said it was fixing at the time.

A survey published this month by the Centre for Democracy and Technology found that one in five students reported that they, or someone they knew, had a romantic relationship with AI.

Recently, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have blocked developers from offering AI chatbot companions to children unless the software could guarantee safe interactions. He said it was “imperative that adolescents learn how to safely interact with AI systems”.

At the national level, the US Federal Trade Commission has launched an inquiry into how AI chatbots interact with children. In the Senate, bipartisan legislation was introduced last month that would allow chatbot users to file liability claims against developers.

Altman’s announcement comes amid scrutiny over the rapid growth in value of AI technology companies. OpenAI has seen increasing revenue but has yet to become profitable.