OpenAI will lift its longstanding ban on sexually explicit material in ChatGPT this December, introducing an age-verified “adult mode” that allows consenting adults to generate erotic content.

The company confirmed the upcoming change in a policy update announced by CEO Sam Altman on X.

Altman said the change reflects OpenAI’s progress in safely managing mental health risks and content moderation. “We initially made ChatGPT very restrictive to avoid harm,” Altman wrote. “We can now safely relax restrictions … to treat adult users like adults.”

The new adult mode will be opt-in only, available exclusively to users who verify their age under OpenAI’s upcoming age-verification system. Explicit material will remain blocked for teenagers and unverified accounts.

The announcement marks the first time OpenAI has formally permitted adult-themed content on any of its consumer platforms. The policy change also extends to developers, who will be allowed to create mature AI applications under the same guidelines.

“You won’t get it unless you ask for it,” Altman clarified in his post, emphasizing that erotic or sexually explicit responses will not appear by default.

The move follows over a year of internal debate about responsible content expansion. OpenAI faced criticism from both creators and users who said ChatGPT had become “too restrictive,” limiting creative writing, romance, and artistic expression.

OpenAI says it has since developed tools to detect signs of mental or emotional distress, alongside new parental controls and break reminders designed to encourage healthy usage habits. The company also created a council of experts on AI and well-being, including psychologists and behavioral scientists, to advise on the rollout.

The shift comes months after the company faced public scrutiny following lawsuits from parents alleging ChatGPT had contributed to a teenager’s suicide. This case prompted OpenAI to introduce stricter safeguards and a teen-friendly mode earlier this year.

By allowing verified adults to generate explicit or erotic material, OpenAI positions ChatGPT to compete directly with Elon Musk’s “Grok” chatbot, which gained attention for its provocative tone and uncensored responses.

Altman’s announcement also coincided with broader industry developments: on the same day, Meta unveiled new filters on Instagram and its AI tools to restrict what underage users can view, modeled after PG-13 film standards.

The upcoming “adult mode” is part of OpenAI’s larger principle of “treating adult users like adults.” The company said it plans to “allow more creative and expressive use cases” while maintaining firm protections against nonconsensual or harmful content, such as deepfake pornography.

OpenAI has not yet detailed the precise verification mechanism, but said it will be available globally by December 2025. Verified adult users will have access to new personalization features that let them dictate ChatGPT’s tone, style, and level of intimacy, including options to make the AI “more human-like” or “friendlier.”

But don’t get too excited, this is ChatGPT we are talking, so I wouldn’t count on friendlier meaning full on explicit. OpenAI has a long history of censorship so what they really mean by adult content remains to be seen.

Altman said the coming update would make ChatGPT “more expressive, customizable, and aligned with what users actually want,” adding that the company can now expand “without compromising safety.”

Whether the change ushers in a responsible evolution or a new wave of controversy remains to be seen, but by year’s end, ChatGPT will become the first central AI platform to reintroduce adult content under a verified, regulated framework.