ChatGPT Delays ‘Adult Mode’ Until It Sorts Out Age Prediction

If you were looking forward to giving ChatGPT’s upcoming “adult mode” a try, you might be waiting a while longer.

The upcoming feature, which will allow users to generate adult content using the chatbot for the first time, has been delayed. OpenAI is waiting until it has made more progress with its age prediction processes to stop younger users from using the service, according to Sources News. These age prediction tools, introduced at the start of 2026, use factors such as the length of time an account has been active and its usage patterns to determine the authentic age of the user.

“We still believe in the principle of treating adults like adults, but getting the experience right will take more time,” an OpenAI spokesperson told Axios.

The spokesperson added that it was delaying the launch of the chatbot’s X-rated capabilities so it “can focus on work that is a higher priority for more users right now,” including making improvements in terms of the tool’s intelligence, personality, personalization, and creativity.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman first teased the feature in October 2025, alongside changes that could allow users to have their GPT act in “a very human-like way.” References to “Naughty Chats” were found hidden within the code of the latest ChatGPT build v1.2026.055 earlier this month.

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It may be understandable why OpenAI might want to be careful about letting minors access adult content. The company is facing multiple lawsuits and political pressure due to alleged safety issues its products can pose to minors, with several families suing OpenAI for a role its chatbot had in their child’s suicide.

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Meanwhile, we’ve seen how enabling a chatbot to produce risque content can leave its parent company in hot water. Earlier this year, X’s in-house chatbot Grok landed itself in hot water with regulators across the world after facilitating a viral trend where it generated pictures of celebrities, and in some cases minors, in bikinis.

ChatGPT isn’t exactly unique when it comes to restricting the ability of users to generate adult content on the service. Tools like Anthropic’s Claude also have these types of service restrictions written into their terms and conditions. Grok, however, still allows users over the age of 18 to generate many types of erotic content effectively at will, though xAI has rolled back the ability of nonpaying subscribers to generate images via its integration with X. It even rolled out explicitly “sexy” AI companions in July last year.