'We are not elected moral police': Sam Altman defends ChatGPT's adult model plans on erotica

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded to online criticism and mockery over plans for what has been referred to as an “adult model” of ChatGPT. The controversy erupted when Altman discussed changes coming to ChatGPT that would give adults more freedom, while maintaining stricter controls for younger users.

The backlash largely focused on a reference to “erotica,” which Altman said was only one part of a larger policy shift.

“Ok this tweet about upcoming changes to ChatGPT blew up on the erotica point much more than I thought it was going to!” Altman posted on X, noting he had not expected that specific detail to draw so much attention.

According to him, the original announcement “was meant to be just one example of us allowing more user freedom for adults.” Trying to clarify the company’s intent, he added, “Here is an effort to better communicate it.”

Altman said that OpenAI intends to prioritise younger users’ protection. He said that the company would continue to put “safety over privacy and freedom for teenagers,” reflecting OpenAI’s belief that “minors need significant protection” because the technology is “new and powerful.” He also emphasised that OpenAI had “no plan to change” its “strict policies regarding mental health.”

In elaborating on why OpenAI wants different tiers of content accessibility, Altman said the company cares “about the principle of treating adult users like adults.”

However, he made it clear that such changes would not be universal, saying they would not “apply across the board” and that OpenAI would “treat users who are having mental health crises very differently from users who are not.”

In a separate message, Altman rejected the idea that OpenAI should serve as a moral authority over people’s choices. “But we are not the elected moral police of the world,” he wrote, comparing OpenAI’s approach to familiar social systems.

“In the same way that society differentiates other appropriate boundaries (R-rated movies, for example) we want to do a similar thing here," he said.

Altman had previously acknowledged that OpenAI’s tighter content rules made ChatGPT “less useful/enjoyable to many users.”

He also said, “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.” The company intends to tighten restrictions for minors while giving verified adults more freedom under controlled conditions.