ChatGPT Gears Up for "Adult" Content, But First It's Improving Age Checks

OpenAI has begun testing an automated system for determining user age. This development will form the foundation for new chatbot functionality scheduled for launch early next year. According to details shared in a technical briefing, the company is focused on improving the accuracy of algorithms that must distinguish between adult users and teenagers. Errors in identification are considered critical, which is why the release of related features has been postponed until the system undergoes comprehensive testing.

The new approach suggests that for verified adult users, some existing restrictions will be relaxed, allowing the chatbot to engage with a broader range of topics, including those traditionally categorized as "adult." Several other developers of AI assistants have implemented similar specialized modes recently.

Experts link the increased focus on age verification to tightening legislation in various countries, which requires digital services to enforce stricter controls on content access. OpenAI, it seems, intends to implement changes gradually, starting with an improved age-check system and only then expanding ChatGPT's functional capabilities for specific user categories.

Updates concerning age restrictions and new modes are expected to be presented in the first quarter of 2026. Exact dates and implementation details have not yet been disclosed.

These planned changes are happening against a backdrop of active expansion of ChatGPT's functionality through integration with third-party services. For instance, users recently gained free access to basic functions of Adobe Photoshop, Express, and Acrobat directly within the chatbot's interface, allowing many image and document editing tasks to be performed via text prompts.