Age verification, AI risks, moderation 2025
The decision by OpenAI to allow erotic content for verified adults in ChatGPT has sparked a debate about youth protection and freedom. CEO Sam Altman defends the move with the argument that OpenAI is not the moral police of the world.
Quelle: Own depiction
OpenAI & Erotica
Erotica in this context refers to explicit, sexual depictions in text form that should be accessible only to adult users. Age verification includes procedures for verifying age, from ID checks to AI-assisted age estimation. OpenAI emphasizes that content with minors strictly prohibited remain.
Current status & motives
On 14. Oktober 2025 On [date], Sam Altman announced that ChatGPT will allow erotic role-play for verified adults starting in December. This comes with expanded personality and tone options. Media reports confirmed this plan as part of the principle of treating adult users like adults. The Guardian also mentioned a teen offering since September and a planned age estimation, details of which have not been fully disclosed. OpenAI describes in blog posts the expansion of age recognition and parental controls. Altman reaffirmed that OpenAI is not the moral police force and will protect minors strictly.
Strategically, OpenAI strengthens the product's attractiveness to paying adults in an environment where competitors market more permissive features to win market share. The company is trying to cautiously roll back previously strict filters due to mental-health risks, supported by new detection and intervention mechanisms. Public perception focuses on whether a platform can credibly ensure adult freedom and consistent youth protection. This move comes at a time when US politics and states seek to tighten minors' access to AI companions.
Quelle: youtube.com
Short news clip summarizing the announcement and the controversy briefly.
Facts & Criticism
Evidence shows that OpenAI wants to allow erotic content for verified adults, with a start window from December. Altman's quote about the moral police is also documented. The expansion of age prediction and teen protection, including parental controls, is also confirmed. The exact procedures and error rates of age estimation are unclear; OpenAI cites principles but no validated metrics. False or misleading is the claim that OpenAI allows general sexual content without restrictions; minors remain strictly protected, and content involving minors is forbidden.
Quelle: avasant.com
Five key areas of content moderation: From automated detection to regulatory frameworks.
Criticism came, among others, from entrepreneur Mark Cuban, who doubts the effectiveness of age gates and warns of backfire effects. Anti-pornography organizations expressed fundamental safety concerns and call for stricter safeguards. Media frame the move as a signal of a broader shift in content moderation and product strategy.
Implications & Open Questions
For adult users this means more freedom with opt-in features, while hard limits on harmful content remain. For schools and families, it becomes more important how well age verification and device setups work. Comparable systems like YouTube increasingly rely on AI-based age estimation, which in daily use can lead to misclassifications and privacy concerns. Practically, this means that on school devices, consistent youth-protection settings and clear usage rules are required, since age gates alone do not provide 100 percent protection.
Quelle: youtube.com
ChatGPT and generative AI in schools: challenges and approaches for dealing with age verification and content moderation.
Open questions concern the exact validation of OpenAI's age detection, especially regarding metrics and independent audits. So far, published error rates or studies on possible bias effects are missing. It remains to be seen which regulatory guardrails lawmakers will set for AI companions and adult-oriented features. Initial initiatives to stricter limit chatbots for minors are being discussed. The concrete implementation in December, particularly the opt-in design, logging, and abuse monitoring, is also not yet detailed.
Quelle: YouTube
Summary
The rule change marks a turning point: adult freedom combined with tightened youth protection. Everyday success depends on the quality of age verification, transparent protection mechanisms, and clear rules in families and schools. Informed review and the use of configuration options enable responsible use of the opportunities, without downplaying risks.
Quelle: user-added
A schematic representation of automated and human content moderation that is relevant for generative AI systems like ChatGPT.