OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has announced that the company will ease many of ChatGPT’s existing content restrictions, introducing new controls that allow users to customize tone and personality.
In a post on X, Altman also revealed plans to permit adult content such as erotica for verified users once age gating is fully implemented in December.
He acknowledged that ChatGPT had been made “pretty restrictive” in earlier versions in order to safeguard mental health concerns. He admitted that these strict guardrails reduced usability and enjoyment for many users without mental health challenges. Now, with improved tools and safeguards in place, OpenAI believes it can safely relax those restrictions in most situations.
Altman said that in the coming weeks, OpenAI will launch a new ChatGPT version in which users can opt for a personality that behaves more like what people appreciated in GPT-4o. Users will be able to ask the AI to respond more human-like, use abundant emoji, or act like a friend, but only when explicitly requested, not as a push toward engagement.
Looking ahead to December, Altman said OpenAI would roll out more comprehensive age gating under the principle of “treat adult users like adults.” With that system, verified adults will be allowed access to content types previously barred—including erotica—provided appropriate safety filters are in place.
Previously the company had taken a more cautious route, especially around topics that could affect vulnerable users. But as Altman suggested, the new safety tooling gives OpenAI more confidence to allow greater freedom for adult users.
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…
— Sam Altman (@sama)
The shift also ties into OpenAI’s recent efforts to strengthen youth protections. The company is already developing an age estimation system that can deliver more limited responses to suspected underage users. In December this will be supplemented by full age verification and adjusted policies for adult and minor accounts.
Yet the change raises new questions about where the line will be drawn between safety and freedom. Critics caution that loosening restrictions could open avenues for misuse, particularly if enforcement is uneven.
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“treat adult users like adults.”
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Never mind all the environmental concerns, unemployment, runaway measles outbreak or any other modern day issues we are experiencing that need addressing, as long as we can talk dirty to our software program, all good….right?
Billionaires only caring about their return on investment.
If there was a professional organization for drug dealers, its motto would be “Treat Adult Users Like Adults”