Adult ChatGPT Launch Delayed Again…Pushed Down the Priority List With …

SAM ALTMAN OPENAI CEO / PHOBO BY GEMINI

OpenAI has once again postponed the launch of ChatGPT’s adult-only feature, known as “adult mode.” The feature, which would allow verified adult users to access adult content such as erotica, has been under development amid controversy since last year. However, internal priority adjustments have pushed the release back once again. This time, the company did not even present a new target timeline. Market attention is gradually shifting from “when” it will launch to “whether it will launch at all.”

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman previously announced that after introducing an age verification system in October 2025, the company would allow broader content access for adult users around December of the same year. The move was seen as an attempt for ChatGPT to move beyond its strict content filters and permit conversations and creative works involving adult themes.

However, OpenAI internally declared a “code red” and shifted its focus toward strengthening the core ChatGPT experience. As a result, the original December 2025 target was pushed back once to the first quarter of 2026. The latest delay signals that the feature will not be released even within that first-quarter window.

The delay was first reported through journalist Alex Heath’s newsletter “Sources,” and was later confirmed when an OpenAI spokesperson issued an official statement to the U.S. media outlet Axios. The spokesperson said the company is “again delaying the release of adult mode,” but did not provide a new timeline, leaving the length of the delay unclear.

According to the spokesperson, the main reason for the postponement is “higher-priority work for more users.” Specifically, improvements in model intelligence, enhancements to chatbot personality, greater personalization, and the development of more proactive features have taken priority.

The spokesperson added, “The principle of treating adults like adults still stands, but it will take more time to build the experience properly.”

In other words, OpenAI emphasized that the company has not abandoned the adult mode feature itself, but has simply postponed its release. Nevertheless, repeated delays appear likely to fuel concerns about credibility.

OpenAI originally planned the adult mode as a way to offer a differentiated level of content freedom compared with rival services such as xAI’s Grok, which is more permissive toward adult content.

However, allowing adult content inevitably brings multiple controversies, including regulatory scrutiny, brand image risks, and concerns about content addiction. These structural challenges are also believed to have made it difficult for the company to accelerate the launch timeline.