OpenAI is preparing to introduce a significant change to ChatGPT — the inclusion of adult and erotic content for verified users. CEO Sam Altman revealed that the new feature will roll out in December, accompanied by a strict age verification system to ensure responsible use.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Altman explained that the move aligns with the company’s evolving philosophy: “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.”

The announcement signals a major cultural shift for OpenAI, a company that has long maintained strict limits on explicit or mature content in its AI products. The new policy aims to balance user safety, creative freedom, and personalization, enabling ChatGPT to adapt to a wider range of adult conversations while maintaining strong moderation controls.

Earlier this month, OpenAI hinted at this transition when it confirmed that developers would soon be able to build “mature” ChatGPT-based apps—provided they adhere to the company’s safety systems and age verification requirements.

Competing in the AI Companionship Space

OpenAI’s decision comes amid growing competition in the world of AI companionship. Elon Musk’s xAI has already launched flirty, interactive avatars inside the Grok app—AI personalities that can chat, joke, and even flirt with users in anime-inspired form.

Altman’s latest move indicates OpenAI’s willingness to join that race, positioning ChatGPT not only as a productivity tool but also as a platform for emotional and social interaction. For a company once known for its cautious stance on content moderation, the change highlights how rapidly AI is evolving from utility-driven systems to emotionally intelligent companions.

Personality Overhaul and User Feedback

Alongside the adult-content update, OpenAI plans to roll out a new personality model for ChatGPT that captures the friendliness and warmth users loved in GPT-4o.

After making GPT-5 the default model, OpenAI faced pushback from users who felt the chatbot had become too robotic and impersonal. In response, the company restored GPT-4o as an optional model while working on improvements to balance safety, tone, and user engagement.

Altman acknowledged that earlier moderation made ChatGPT overly restrictive: “We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues,” he said. “That made the chatbot less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems.”

To fix this, OpenAI has deployed new tools capable of detecting emotional distress, allowing it to relax restrictions for users who do not require heightened safeguards.

A Focus on Well-Being

In parallel, OpenAI has formed a “Well-Being and AI Council”, a panel of eight researchers tasked with studying how artificial intelligence affects mental health and emotional safety. Although critics have noted the absence of suicide prevention specialists, the company says the council will guide its approach to sensitive user interactions.

With age verification, emotional awareness, and expanded personalization, OpenAI appears poised to make ChatGPT not just more capable—but more human than ever before.