OpenAI delays ChatGPT adult mode to early 2026 as age verification tests continue

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.

ChatGPT's adult mode is coming -- and it might not be what you think it is

The adult mode may be delayed depending on the age prediction system. ChatGPT is growing up, or at least offering an adults-only version starting next year. OpenAI's CEO of Applications, Fidji Simo, confirmed the plan for an "adult mode" to debut in the first quarter of 2026. There's no firmer date yet, partly because the rollout won't happen unless and until the company's new age-prediction AI model proves effective. OpenAI is currently testing the AI's ability to figure out when someone is under 18 and apply the right content filters automatically in a few countries. Unlike most websites that slap a "confirm your age" pop-up over anything racy, OpenAI doesn't want to rely on the honor system. Where old internet services could dodge accountability with a "this content may not be suitable" label, AI's interactivity means developers have to think much harder about what their tools can do, and for whom. OpenAI wants a more nuanced AI that can infer a user's likely age based on behavior and context. And until that system is ready, adult content in ChatGPT will remain forbidden. The news is unsurprising as an adult version of ChatGPT has been rumored for a long while, especially in the wake of xAI experimenting with an age-limited version of Grok. Simo's announcement simply confirms that OpenAI is ready to embrace a more mature version of its tool, albeit with some guardrails in place for safety and legality's sake. And in fact, nudity and explicit content might not be the center of ChatGPT's adult mode. That's the logical assumption, but comments by CEO Sam Altman and others imply that it might be more about opening up the AI chatbot to discussions on topics currently forbidden by the content filter for not being family-friendly. There have been complaints that ChatGPT is far too prudish and strict in its guidelines, erring on the side of caution when the boundary gets even slightly fuzzy. Since everyone has their own line of "appropriate," that was probably wise from a business sense. Now OpenAI can have its cake and eat it with a side of adult content. We may find the benefits of an adult mode for ChatGPT end up seeming somewhat mundane. Just getting to discuss human sexuality, relationships, and mental health would take the AI chatbot into new territory. But age prediction is a tricky business. Most systems rely on user-submitted data or facial recognition. OpenAI is going for behavioral interpretation. The company is training the AI to detect maturity by how someone converses and what they want to discuss. But a mistake in either direction could have legal or business consequences. And it's not like there won't be lots of official and unofficial scrutiny. Governments around the world are actively drafting or enforcing new regulations around online age verification, and OpenAI likely sees this feature as both a user experience upgrade and a proactive compliance measure. Still, people like a customized AI experience. Adult mode is another way for users to be more in control of how they engage with ChatGPT, perhaps encouraging people to subscribe to a premium ChatGPT tier. If the age tests work and people spend time in adult mode, ChatGPT could be setting yet another AI precedent, this time for more mature chatbots to come.

OpenAI Preparing to Launch Smut Blaster 5000

The AI smut market is booming, and tech executives are starting to notice. Indeed, one study found that about 16 percent of adults are having at least weekly intimate conversations with AI chatbots, while naughty AI generators are churning out hundreds of thousands of images a day. By one estimate, the market for AI erotica is said to be worth around $2.5 billion in 2025 alone. With so much up for grabs, it's no wonder OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wants a piece of the pie. Back in October, Altman announced ChatGPT would soon begin giving verified adult users access to "erotica," as part of a "treat adult users like adults" mantra. Speaking to the press, OpenAI's CEO of Applications Fidji Simo said she expects ChatGPT's "adult mode" to go live sometime in the first three months of 2026, according to The Verge. (She also added the not-so-reassuring caveat that the company needs to get "better at age prediction" before it releases the feature.) Simo said that OpenAI is already testing adult mode out in some countries before it rolls out in the US, though didn't say exactly which countries were being used as guinea pigs. She also added that the company wants to be just as confident that it's "not misidentifying adults" as it is that it's filtering out children. When the company does finally turn on the hose, ChatGPT is sure to become an erotic fountain of epic proportions. Online tools for generating AI smut are already prolific, flooding the internet with nonconsensual deepfakes -- a horrifying situation which the most widely used AI chatbot is likely to make worse. OpenAI's moves notably follow Elon Musk's decision to turn his own proprietary AI, Grok, into a hybrid skin flick generator and virtual girlfriend all wrapped into one. It also comes right on the heels of CNBC talking head Jim Cramer's prediction that OpenAI would soon lose tens of millions of users to Google's Gemini 3. In early December, OpenAI internally declared what it calls "code red" mode -- a mad scramble to quickly improve ChatGPT as Gemini 3 threatens its lead as the dominant AI chatbot. Whatever happens next is difficult to say, but it's likely the web will never be the same.

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.

ChatGPT's Adult Mode Might Arrive in Early 2026

* ChatGPT's adult mode will support erotica * Sam Altman said OpenAI wants to treat adult users as adults * This mode will exclusively be available to legal adults ChatGPT's adult mode, which was first mentioned in October, now reportedly has a release timeline. Back then, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared the company's principle of "treating adult users as users," hinting that users above the legal age would be able to access more explicit use cases from their artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. Now, as per a report, this adult mode is being planned to roll out in early 2026, provided OpenAI can build its age verification system by then. OpenAI Confirms Adult Mode for ChatGPT According to The Verge, OpenAI's CEO of Applications, Fidji Simo, told reporters recently that ChatGPT's adult mode could arrive in the first quarter of 2026. With this release, the platform will join the ranks of Grok and numerous smaller AI players that offer "not safe for work" (NSFW) content to users. However, there is a catch. The AI giant will not introduce the capability unless it can definitively confirm that only an adult is accessing them. For that, OpenAI is adopting an AI-powered age verification system instead of the existing "opt-in" honour system. OpenAI, earlier, has mentioned its age verification admin tools, which use custom large language models (LLMs) to deduce the age of a user based on their in-app activity and other signals. Simo reportedly revealed that this system is currently in the early testing stage. It is said to be used in select countries to identify teenagers that mi's-identify as adults. If these tests are successful, then ChatGPT's adult mode will be rolled out in early 2026, with the US likely to be the first country to receive the feature. It is also expected that this capability will only be offered to the paid subscribers. In October, Altman announced that the company is developing a new set of adult-exclusive features that will let them do more with the AI chatbot. These use cases were not explicitly mentioned, but could include a flirtatious version of ChatGPT that responds to more explicit-natured conversations. The CEO had also hinted at "erotica" for verified adults. The announcement was made after a large number of users expressed frustrations at the removal of the GPT-4o model after the release of GPT-5. The former is said to be more conversational and felt "human-like."

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.