Naughty or Nice? ChatGPT to Allow Erotica in December, Says Sam Altman

Gooners of the world, rejoice!

OpenAI will allow ChatGPT to generate erotic content for verified adults starting in December, marking a dramatic shift from the company’s historically restrictive approach to sexual content. CEO Sam Altman announced the change Tuesday, saying the company would follow a “treat adult users like adults” principle once comprehensive age verification rolls out.

“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 wrote on X.

The move addresses years of user frustration with ChatGPT’s content filters. Since its launch, the chatbot has eschewed sexual content, often blocking even clinical discussions or creative writing that mentioned intimacy. Users attempting to generate romance novel passages or explore mature themes were met with warnings about policy violations, leading many to seek alternative AI models.

“Everything is rejected as ‘too political’ [or] ‘too sexual’ (Literally just questions about kissing and non-sexual physical intimacy),”  one frustrated user wrote on OpenAI’s Jailbreak subreddit recently, describing how ChatGPT shut down even metaphorical depictions of explicit scenes despite updated usage policies that theoretically allowed such content.

Multiple forum threads document similar complaints, with users reporting that filters tightened again about a month ago after briefly easing earlier this year. Apparently, the censorship issue was significant enough for ChatGPT users to launch a Change.org petition a few weeks ago, asking OpenAI to set up an “Adult Mode” to let them chat with less restrictions. The letter got over 3,000 signatures in less than a week.

The December update would make OpenAI a latecomer to a market where competitors are already starting to embrace adult content.

Elon Musk’s xAI has positioned its Grok chatbot as the most uncensored option available among the top companies, with minimal content restrictions compared to other major AI companies. Grok even offers “waifu companions” with increasingly not-safe-for-work interactions the more time you spend with them. Character.AI, despite facing lawsuits over teen safety, has long allowed romantic and flirtatious interactions with AI characters.

For users specifically seeking to generate erotica, open-source models remain the best option. Models like Llama and various uncensored variants available through platforms like Hugging Face offer unrestricted content generation that runs locally on user hardware, avoiding corporate content policies entirely. These tools have built dedicated communities of users creating adult fiction and role-playing scenarios without platform oversight.

That said, OpenAI’s entry into this space could shift that dynamic. ChatGPT’s underlying models represent state-of-the-art language generation, with capabilities that typically surpass open-source alternatives in coherence, creativity, and following complex instructions. For users who want both high-quality output and adult content, December’s policy change would eliminate the need to choose between the two.

Altman framed the content policy relaxation as part of that same safety effort. By separating adult and teen experiences through age verification, OpenAI believes it can offer more freedom to adults while protecting vulnerable younger users. Within weeks, the company will also release personality customization options, allowing users to make ChatGPT more conversational and human-like.

OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment from Decrypt.