Sam Altman, the OpenAI CEO, reveals an adult ChatGPT update with less restrictive rules and safety features for verified users.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has stated that an adult version of ChatGPT soon will have an open version of the AI chatbot, in which a verified adult user may see erotic content, a significant deviation from the earlier approach of OpenAI.

In showing some of the new versions that would be rolled out in December, the CEO disclosed on Tuesday that they would be in accordance with the company principle of treating adult users like adults. The update will consist of innovative age-gating systems and additional safety features to secure minors and give adult users of the chatbot more freedom in their use of it.

Granted, dismissed older versions of ChatGPT, Altman told me, were too conservative, as they tried to prevent mental health risks. Nonetheless, due to better safety measures, OpenAI is now going to lift restrictions safely in the majority of situations.

The CEO found that a new version of ChatGPT will soon allow users to create individual chatbot personalities, which is based on the recent improvements made to GPT-4o.

This move has been made after increasing regulatory questioning on the topic, with a U.S. Federal Trade Commission probe into AI safety and impacts on mental health. Thereupon, OpenAI was established with an expert council on well-being and AI in response to advice on responsible development.

Altman moving to introduce a new balance between users' freedom and online safety is a critical step in the current direction of OpenAI towards dealing with adult content moderation.