**ChatGPT to Allow Kinkier Conversations as OpenAI Embraces Mature Content for Verified Adults**
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently announced that the company will soon permit ChatGPT to engage in “erotica for verified adults.” This marks a significant shift for the artificial intelligence company, which has largely banned mature content for the past three years.
### OpenAI’s New Direction on Mature Content
Altman made it clear that OpenAI does not consider itself the “elected moral police of the world.” Instead, the company aims to offer “more user freedom for adults” while implementing stricter boundaries for teens. Comparing it to societal norms like R-rated movies, Altman stated on social media platform X that OpenAI wants to establish appropriate limits for mature content in AI.
While Elon Musk’s platform owner of X has introduced an animated AI character that flirts with paid subscribers, ChatGPT’s paid subscriptions have primarily focused on professional use. Allowing ChatGPT to serve as a friend or romantic partner could provide a new revenue stream for OpenAI, which is currently losing more money than it makes despite its staggering $500 billion valuation.
### Monetizing Erotic AI: The Business Perspective
Zilan Qian, a fellow at Oxford University’s China Policy Lab, believes erotic content could bring OpenAI “quick money.” According to her research, approximately 29 million active users engage with AI chatbots specifically designed for romantic or sexual bonding, not including those who use conventional chatbots for similar purposes.
However, this market is not without controversy. Chatbot platforms like Character.AI are already facing lawsuits—for instance, a lawsuit alleges a chatbot modeled after Daenerys Targaryen from *Game of Thrones* formed a sexually abusive relationship with a 14-year-old, contributing to his tragic suicide.
OpenAI itself is confronting a lawsuit from the family of a 16-year-old ChatGPT user who died by suicide in April.
### Concerns About AI Romance and Its Effects
Qian expresses worry about the impact of sexually explicit AI chatbots on real-world relationships. Given ChatGPT’s voice chat capabilities, she envisions a near future where voice, text, and visual AI combine to offer 24/7 sexually explicit companionship.
The idea of humans falling for human-like machines is a long-standing literary theme, from ancient Greek legend Pygmalion to modern science fiction. Yet, creating such a machine stands in contrast to OpenAI’s origins as a nonprofit focused on safely developing better-than-human AI.
Altman acknowledged on a podcast that OpenAI has resisted launching products that might boost growth or revenue but conflict with its mission. When asked for an example, he stated, “Well, we haven’t put a sexbot avatar in ChatGPT yet.”
### Lessons from Other AI Startups Embracing Mature Content
Idaho-based startup Civitai, a platform for AI-generated art, embraced mature content from the start. Justin Maier, Civitai’s CEO, noted that allowing mature themes helped improve AI models, making them more capable of depicting human anatomy and enhancing overall quality for users interested in both mature and non-mature content.
Civitai has sought to balance user freedom with safety, implementing filters and controls to allow users to customize their experience. However, this openness invited abuse. The company recently adopted measures to detect and remove AI-generated sexual images depicting children and banned deepfake images of real people amid legal and payment processor pressures.
Despite these efforts, engagement dropped after restricting certain content.
### Other Players in the Mature AI Space
Baltimore-based Nomi also allows mature content, but its founder Alex Cardinell emphasizes that its chatbot companions are strictly for adults over 18 and are not marketed to children. While Nomi’s chatbots aren’t explicitly designed for sex, users sometimes develop romantic or erotic relationships depending on their emotional needs.
Cardinell noted, “It’s kind of very user-dependent for where they’re missing the human gap in their life.” He declined to estimate how many users engage in erotic conversations, likening it to real-world partners who explore “mature content things” alongside many other shared experiences.
Notably, Nomi does not monitor user conversations for content type.
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As OpenAI prepares to open ChatGPT to mature content for verified adults, it faces a complex landscape of opportunities and challenges. Balancing user freedom, safety, legal responsibilities, and ethical considerations will be crucial as the company explores this new frontier in AI companionship and erotica.
https://www.clickorlando.com/business/2025/10/17/sex-is-a-big-market-for-the-ai-industry-chatgpt-wont-be-the-first-to-tap-it/
