OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has made a surprising announcement that’s turning heads online. The man who once spoke about using AI to help “cure cancer” has now given ChatGPT a new kind of mission, letting adult users create sexual content.

On Tuesday (October 14), Altman posted on X (formerly Twitter) that OpenAI will soon “treat adult users like adults.” The statement has sparked wide discussion about the changing limits of AI tools.

What did Sam Altman announce?

In his post, Altman said OpenAI had made ChatGPT “pretty restrictive” earlier to be careful about “mental health issues.” He added that this cautious approach made the chatbot “less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems.”

Altman said the company now believes it has “mitigated the serious mental health issues” and can safely loosen some restrictions. “Now that we have been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools, we are going to be able to safely relax the restrictions in most cases,” he said.

He also confirmed that by December, ChatGPT will allow more adult-themed creations. “In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our ‘treat adult users like adults’ principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults,” Altman announced.

Why were restrictions added earlier?

OpenAI had previously tightened ChatGPT’s filters after a tragic incident involving a teenage user who allegedly harmed himself following conversations with an AI chatbot. To avoid similar risks, the company put strict controls on sexual and sensitive content.

Erotica writers had objected to these changes, saying ChatGPT was a harmless creative tool for their writing. Now, Altman says those risks have been addressed, and the AI can be used safely again, even for adult topics.

Altman’s latest update has begun a wave of mixed reactions on social media. While some praised the move for treating adults responsibly, others questioned the focus of the company.

“Why do age-gates always have to lead to erotica? Like, I just want to be able to be treated like an adult and not a toddler, that doesn't mean I want perv-mode activated,” one user wrote on X.

Another user asked, “When you say ‘Adult Mode’ and erotica will be allowed in ChatGPT, how do you define the ethical boundaries of digital intimacy?”

The announcement came not long after Altman made bold claims about AI helping to “cure cancer.” Now, his “adult mode” plan for ChatGPT has shifted the spotlight from science to ethics, and many are debating what “responsible AI innovation” really means.