By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Thursday sent social media into a frenzy after posting a thread on X (formerly Twitter) about upcoming changes to ChatGPT.
What began as a measured announcement about mental health and personalization quickly turned into a full-blown viral moment. All thanks to one word: ‘erotica’.
The internet loves a good twist, especially when it comes from the man behind ChatGPT.
Altman explained that ChatGPT was originally designed to be “pretty restrictive”, mainly to avoid potential harm related to mental health issues. The company, he said, took a cautious route, even if it meant making the AI seem “less useful or enjoyable” to many users.
He said OpenAI feels ready to open the gates a little wider. “We’ve been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools,” Altman wrote. “Now we’re going to safely relax restrictions in most cases.”
He revealed that a new version of ChatGPT is coming in the next few weeks, one that will let users customise its personality. Think of it as ChatGPT with moods, quirks, and maybe even a sense of humour that feels a little more alive.
Altman hinted that users could choose to have their AI respond in a “very human-like way”, use emojis freely, or even act like a friend but only if the user wants that kind of experience.
“In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully… we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults.”
That single sentence overshadowed the rest of the announcement. Within minutes, “erotica” started trending, memes flooded X, and users joked that ChatGPT 5 might soon turn into the internet’s most romantic pen pal.
Altman jumped back online to clarify. “Ok this tweet about upcoming changes to ChatGPT blew up on the erotica point much more than I thought it was going to!” he admitted.
He said that the point wasn’t about adult content. It was about freedom of choice. OpenAI, he emphasized plans to treat adult users like adults, while maintaining strict safety protections for minors.
Altman underlined that the company would continue to prioritise safety over privacy and freedom for teenagers, ensuring that younger users remain shielded from inappropriate content.
The goal is different: to give adults greater control over how they interact with AI.
“We are not the elected moral police of the world,” Altman wrote, drawing comparisons to how society handles R-rated movies: clear rules for minors, more freedom for adults.
He also stressed that mental health policies will remain unchanged and that OpenAI will continue to handle users in crisis with special care.
The broader idea, Altman said, is to make AI a tool for personal expression and support, not control. “Allowing freedom for people to use AI in the ways they want is an important part of our mission,” he wrote.
He added that most people online didn’t read that far. The memes kept coming.
