- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says a new version of ChatGPT is coming that behaves more like GPT‑4o
- The chatbot will offer customizable tone, personality, and emoji use
- Verified adult users will be able to access erotica and other mature content through a new “adult mode"
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has announced that ChatGPT is about to be more like its old self, and, depending on your settings, a bit more risqué
Altman announced on X that the company plans to roll out a “new version of ChatGPT” that behaves more like an older version of ChatGPT, specifically the GPT-4o model that many people pined for when GPT-5 first replaced it. That includes offering options for bigger, friendlier, and more emoji-filled personalities, as well as a new “mature content” mode for verified adult users.
The announcement comes amid rising tensions between user demand for both more flexible AI and more enforced safety and ethical standards. OpenAI now believes it has developed better safeguards around mental health and is ready to ease some of the restrictions.
The incoming update aims to strike a new balance, Altman explained. If you’ve ever found yourself thinking your AI assistant sounds more like corporate HR than a conversational partner, you're going to be thrilled.
We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right.Now that we have…October 14, 2025
OpenAI’s plan to begin allowing erotica generation for adult users who verify their age is a real bombshell, however. It’s a policy reversal that will almost certainly be welcomed by some, while viewed with deep suspicion by critics who fear AI's potential for abuse.
Currently, ChatGPT’s content policy disallows erotica and depictions of extreme violence except in educational, medical, or historical contexts. Even within storytelling, users often hit moderation roadblocks. In December, OpenAI said it will complete its rollout of age-gating tools and flip the switch on “mature mode” for verified adults.
Even users who have no interest in erotica might notice a difference in how ChatGPT behaves. The current default often feels intentionally bland. The shift to a more GPT-4o approach to personality might be a big deal to a lot of users. It will be an opt-in choice, though. If you want a more straight-laced AI, you can have that instead.
ChatGPT 18+
It's quite a philosophical change for OpenAI compared to how the company was talking even a few weeks ago. That's when OpenAI showcased how ChatGPT would shunt young-seeming people into a model for teens with stricter filters and parent alerts.
This tension, between freedom and safety, creativity and control, has haunted every generation of AI tools. But the shift happening now suggests OpenAI is ready to stop chasing a one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, it’s inching toward customization: a ChatGPT that can be sensitive or sassy, PG or R-rated, depending on who’s using it and how.
This update is also a quiet pivot in how OpenAI frames ChatGPT’s purpose. It was once primarily pitched for productivity, but now it's keen on seeming like a companion for every occasion. Still, more expressive, more permissive, more human ChatGPT might not expand the customer base for OpenAI as it faces stiffer competition from Google, Meta, and other AI developers.
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