OpenAI delays ChatGPT adult mode to 2026 as age verification system needs more testing

ChatGPT's 'Adult Mode' Is Coming in 2026

OpenAI announced the latest version of its flagship AI model, GPT-5.2, on Thursday in response to its ongoing attempt to keep up with its competitors. And while GPT-5.2 reportedly performs well in most benchmark tests, there's one metric that OpenAI did not provide details on: how horny is it? It looks like we'll find that out sometime early next year. Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, told reporters that "adult mode" will debut in ChatGPT during the first quarter of 2026. The porn-brained version of ChatGPT is something that CEO Sam Altman promised earlier this year after some of the chatbot's users freaked out about it getting lobotomized by the update to GPT-5. In October, Altman acknowledged the company had cut back on the chatbot's personality in response to growing concerns about user mental health following a wrongful death lawsuit filed against OpenAI by the parents of a 16-year-old who asked ChatGPT, among other things, for advice on how to tie a noose before taking his own life. The company responded to those concerns with additional parental controls and new efforts to age-gate younger users with a "safer" version of ChatGPT, which estimates the user's age and filters them into the appropriate experience. That age estimation feature is still key to OpenAI opening the door to "adult" experiences. According to The Verge, Simo told reporters the company is still testing its age verification technology and wants to ensure it can accurately identify teens and not misidentify adults before officially rolling out the split experience. At this point, the promised "adult mode" is irrevocably linked to Altman's specific promise of allowing ChatGPT to produce "erotica." But Altman later clarified that the idea is to give adult users more "freedom" in how they interact with the chatbot, including allowing it to develop more of a customized "personality" over the course of conversations with the user. Adults may be better equipped than kids to remember they are talking to a chatbot and not a real person, but it is still dubious to suggest that giving users the ability to get attached to a robot's fake personality is in any way good for safety. A study published earlier this year in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that adults who have developed emotional connections with chatbots are significantly more likely to experience higher levels of psychological distress than those who don't. Other studies have found that people with fewer real-life relationships are more likely to confide in chatbots, and even OpenAI has acknowledged in the past that some users are at risk of becoming emotionally reliant on ChatGPT. Presenting that as simply being a choice that an adult can make at a time when we know so little about this technology feels a bit like passing the buck.

Sorry Gooners: OpenAI's Erotic ChatGPT Delayed Into 2026 - Decrypt

The delay frustrates users as rivals already allow NSFW interactions, leaving OpenAI more cautious and constrained. Looking forward to OpenAI's erotic evolution? You'll have to wait a bit longer. OpenAI is pushing back the company's adult content feature to at least early 2026, breaking a high-profile December deadline that CEO Sam Altman set just two months ago. As first reported by The Verge, Fidji Simo, OpenAI's CEO of applications, told reporters Thursday during the GPT-5.2 briefing that the company's adult mode will now debut sometime in the first quarter of next year. The delay stems from ongoing work to perfect an age prediction system that OpenAI says needs to accurately identify teenagers without incorrectly flagging adults. The announcement follows Altman's October X post that ChatGPT would allow erotica for verified adults starting in December. That timeline was part of what Altman called OpenAI's principle to "treat adult users like adults" after years of increasingly restrictive content policies designed to address mental health concerns. The delay arrives at an awkward moment for OpenAI, which faces mounting pressure from frustrated users. Over 3,000 people signed a Change.org petition demanding an "Adult Mode" after ChatGPT's filters began blocking even discussions about "kissing and non-sexual physical intimacy." Creative writers and romance novelists have complained for months that the chatbot shuts down legitimate storytelling attempts with policy violation warnings. Meanwhile, OpenAI's competitors haven't waited. Elon Musk's Grok chatbot already offers what xAI markets as "waifu companions". The firm has nerfed its horniness, sure -- and Grok users are angry -- but it's still a case of an AI behemoth taking NSFW content seriously. Character.AI built a sizable user base around romantic AI interactions, despite facing lawsuits over teen safety. And open-source models like Llama run locally without corporate oversight, giving users complete freedom to generate whatever content they want, plus Meta allows its models to flirt with users -- even teenagers. The age verification system at the heart of the delay uses AI to estimate user age based on how people interact with ChatGPT. If the system can't make a confident determination, then it defaults to the under-18 experience. OpenAI's caution reflects recent scrutiny over AI's impact on vulnerable users. The company is already facing a wrongful death lawsuit from parents who claim ChatGPT contributed to their 16-year-old son's suicide. Earlier this year, OpenAI formed an Expert Council on Well-Being and AI to advise on mental health impacts, and even the FTC launched an investigation into how tech companies protect minors. For now, users eager to talk dirty to ChatGPT will need to wait until at least January -- or use an open-source model and go crazy.

OpenAI to launch ChatGPT's adult mode in 2026: Here's what we know so far

Experts warn that more emotionally realistic AI could deepen user dependency and psychological risks. After releasing the GPT 5.2 to compete with the Gemini 3 Pro, OpenAI plans to introduce an adult mode. The new mode will be available in the first quarter of 2026, the company confirmed at a briefing. Fidji Simo, OpenAI's CEO of Applications, said that the future mode will only be available to verified adult users, but declined to explain the experience's features. Furthermore, the company revealed that it is still improving the age verification system, which will play an important role in preventing minors from accessing more mature or customised chatbot interactions. The idea of an adult-focused ChatGPT emerged earlier this year, after CEO Sam Altman admitted that the business had purposefully limited the chatbot's personality qualities. The tone-down came in response to growing concerns about the emotional impact of AI assistants on vulnerable users, which were exacerbated by a wrongful death lawsuit alleging ChatGPT provided harmful guidance to a teenager who later committed suicide or influenced a man to kill his mother. In response, OpenAI implemented stricter parental restrictions and other procedures aimed at estimating a user's age and directing them to an age-appropriate experience. The same system will act as the entry point for the more liberal adult tier. Altman previously said that the adult mode could restore some of the expressive, creative behaviours that had been limited in prior releases. While his casual statement regarding erotica sparked great interest, he later stressed that the goal is to offer adults more control over the chatbot's personality and tone. However, some experts have questioned whether improving the emotional realism of AI partners is beneficial. According to a study published this year in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, adults who build emotional relationships with chatbots are more likely to experience psychological suffering. Even OpenAI has warned that some users may become dependent on ChatGPT, raising questions about whether a customised, expressive mode may exacerbate these problems.