Overview

• OpenAI will introduce age-gated access to erotic content in December, limited to users who verify they are adults and available only if requested.
• A new ChatGPT option rolling out in the coming weeks will let users set a more human-like or friend-like personality, including tone and emoji use, by explicit choice.
• Altman says OpenAI can relax rules after mitigating serious mental‑health risks, citing new tools such as GPT‑5 updates, safety routing, parental controls, and an expert well‑being council.
• Key operational details remain unspecified, including how age verification will work and how the company will prevent non‑consensual sexual content or access by minors.
• The shift comes as regulators and courts scrutinize chatbot harms and as rivals like xAI’s Grok and companion apps offer more permissive sexual or romantic interactions.