ChatGPT will send you X-rated text messages as OpenAI reverses policy on AI-generated adult content

You will need to specifically ask ChatGPT to generate something a little more top-shelf.

"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," CEO Sam Altman posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.

Planned for sometime in December, the next ChatGPT update will introduce an opt-in adult mode that keeps standard ChatGPT interactions unchanged unless you specifically ask for erotic material.

When you want to access adult content, you'll need to actively request it – nothing explicit will appear in your conversations by default. Or, as Sam Altman put it on X: "You won't get it unless you ask for it."

The policy shift extends beyond individual users. If you're a developer, you'll be able to create mature AI applications following the same guidelines. OpenAI plans to implement age-prediction software that detects when users might be minors and requests proof of age when uncertain.

TechCrunch was able to generate graphic erotica within ChatGPT using an account registered as a minor. OpenAI said the result was due to a bug, which was later patched in the all-conquering AI chatbot.

The upcoming release in December will be the first time OpenAI has sanctioned pornographic material within its multimodal AI assistant. The announcement comes as ChatGPT faces growing competition from Elon Musk's Grok chatbot, which already offers sexually explicit AI companions.

The rival platform from SpaceX and Tesla boss Mr Musk, which isn't known for its tough censorship around erotica or copyright, introduced the features earlier this year, piling pressure on ChatGPT to expand its offerings.

Confirmation that racy conversations are coming to ChatGPT came as part of a wider suite of changes. As part of what Sam Altman refers to as the US company's "treat adult users like adults" principle, OpenAI has developed new tools to address the mental health concerns that originally led to strict content restrictions.

He posted on X, which is owned by AI rival Elon Musk: "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 been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools, we are going to be able to safely relax the restrictions in most cases.

"In a few weeks, we plan to put out a new version of ChatGPT that allows people to have a personality that behaves more like what people liked about 4o (we hope it will be better!).

"If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it (but only if you want it, not because we are usage-maxxing)."

In the coming weeks, OpenAI will release a version of ChatGPT that will allow people to better dictate the tone and personality of the chatbot, Altman said. According to OpenAI, its newly developed safeguards mean vulnerable users will still receive appropriate protection. The loosened rules won't apply to anyone under 18, and ChatGPT's existing mental health detection features will continue operating to identify users in distress.

These changes mark a significant shift for OpenAI, which has maintained strict content policies since ChatGPT's launch. The company says it's responding to user feedback that recent versions felt overly restrictive.