ChatGPT’s ‘adult mode’ is expected to debut in Q1 2026

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OpenAI wants to get its age-prediction model right before launching the feature.

OpenAI wants to get its age-prediction model right before launching the feature.

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Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge

We’ve seen NSFW offerings from Grok and other chatbots, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has been teasing adult content within ChatGPT for a while. Now, we have a timeline.

Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, told reporters during a Thursday briefing about GPT-5.2 that she expects “adult mode” to debut within ChatGPT in the first quarter of 2026, adding that the company wants to get better at age prediction before introducing the new feature.

OpenAI is currently in the early stages of testing its age prediction model, which is designed to automatically figure out when to apply certain safeguards and content restrictions for users under 18. Simo said during the briefing that the company is already testing the model in certain countries to gauge its ability to identify teens “and not mis-identify adults,” something that the company wants to get right before it debuts the adult features.

Over the past several months, many online services have rolled out more extensive age verification technologies in part so they can comply with new laws.

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