Artificial intelligence digital assistants are infiltrating our daily lives at an astonishing pace, quietly transforming how people interact with technology. From helping choose perfumes to planning travel itineraries, AI’s role is becoming increasingly diverse. However, as capabilities advance, people have also begun to turn to AI as an emotional outlet, with some even viewing chatbots like ChatGPT as friends, or going further to expect them to play the role of intimate partners. OpenAI has previously stated publicly that it hopes to enable ChatGPT to build deeper interactive relationships with users, and recent signs suggest the company appears to be exploring more flirtatious chat modes.
Want to have a “not-so-serious” chat with ChatGPT? That might actually become possible soon.
In version v1.2026.055 of ChatGPT, someone discovered a set of feature strings that haven’t been officially released yet, with a rather direct name called “Naughty Chat.” Based on the string content, this setting appears to allow ChatGPT to use more adult-oriented language when requested by users. The string content is as follows:
+Naughty chats
+This setting lets ChatGPT use spicier, adult-themed language, when you ask. Available to users 18+ only.
+To help keep ChatGPT appropriate for everyone, some settings require age verification.
Based on this description, it can be inferred that after enabling this feature, ChatGPT will lift some of its existing language restrictions, allowing it to use more explicit or mature expressions in certain contexts. For safety purposes, this setting is limited to users who are 18 years of age or older.
Although there is currently no clear evidence indicating how this feature will be implemented, it is widely speculated that it may be used in conjunction with ChatGPT’s recently launched age prediction system. The system estimates the user’s age based on multiple factors, and if it cannot determine the age, it defaults to “under 18.” If a user believes the system’s judgment is incorrect, they must take a selfie and verify their age through the third-party identity verification service Persona in order to be classified as “18 or older.”
In fact, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly discussed as early as October 2025 that the company might offer age-verified adults access to adult content, reasoning that they want to “treat adults like adults.” He also emphasized that unless users actively request it, ChatGPT will not proactively provide any adult content, a position that remains consistent across current chat records and official statements.
We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right.
Now that we have…
— Sam Altman (@sama) October 14, 2025
As these signs gradually emerge, the outside world has begun to pay attention to whether OpenAI is preparing to take ChatGPT into more controversial territory. If AI can provide emotional companionship, that’s not inherently bad, but when interactions gradually move toward ambiguous or even adult-oriented development, it will inevitably trigger more ethical, legal, and social discussions. For example: Will AI affect interpersonal relationships? Will it be misused? How should platforms establish safety mechanisms? These questions will become important topics in the future. In any case, it shouldn’t be too long before we actually see what this feature officially looks like. The future development direction of ChatGPT, how the so-called “adult chat” feature will present itself, and how users will use (or abuse) these new capabilities are all worth continued observation.
Source: KOCPC Chinese