March 8th, Saturday, local timeOpenAI In an interview with Sources.news, it was indicated that the “overline of adult models” would again be postponed in order to “focus on what is now more important for more users”。
OpenAI explained to Axios that the current priorities of companies include “upgrading intelligence, improving the personality of dialogue, enhancing individualized experience and making interaction more proactive”. At the same time, however, he stressed that the company “remains convinced that adults should be treated as adults in principle, but that it will take more time to sharpen the whole experience”。
This is the second time OpenAI has postponed the release of this function. In October 2025, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed for the first time that, while introducing a more comprehensive age classification mechanism, the company would open up more content to certified adult users, including “hot content”, based on the principle of “adult treatment”. At that time, Altmann indicated that this function would be on line in December 2025。
However, this plan was urgently suspended internally. According to sources, Altman asked the team to prioritize resources ChatGPT Core experience. Subsequently, at a briefing in December 2025, the OpenAI application department, CEO Fidji Simo, confirmed to the media that the adult model would be postponed to the first quarter of 2026。
Now that the first quarter is coming to an end, OpenAI presses the pause again and does not give a new timetable。
It is worth noting that OpenAI began the gradual roll-out of its age projection tool in January this year, which may be closely related to future adult models. 1AI notes that the tool automatically determines whether a user is under 18 years of age by analysing a variety of factors, such as the time of active use, the time period of use, and the mode of use of the account. If the system determines that the user may be a minor, targeted security measures will be applied automatically. Users who have been miscalculated can submit their own photographs for age verification through a third-party identification service, thereby restoring full access。
Early this month, a string called “Naughty Chats” was discovered by the tech media Android Authority against ChatGPT v1.2026.055. The code description shows that " This setting allows ChatGPT to use a more spicy, adult subject language when you request it" and confirms that this feature is open only to users over 18. This is further evidence that OpenAI is continuing to develop its functionality。
ALTMANN HAD PREVIOUSLY STRESSED THAT THE ADULT MODEL WOULD NOT BE DEFAULTED ON AND THAT THE CONTENT WOULD BE PROVIDED ONLY AT THE REQUEST OF THE USER. THIS MEANS THAT THE USER NEEDS TO USE THE SWITCH MANUALLY AND PROACTIVELY ASK THE AI CHAT ROBOT FOR AN ADULT THEME DIALOGUE。