Why OpenAI is suddenly allowing erotica on ChatGPT — it's about the money

OpenAI's move into adult content isn't just about sex — it's about owning a booming AI companion market worth hundreds of millions and growing fast

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Sex sells, and OpenAI knows it. After years of playing the noble nonprofit saving humanity from rogue AI, the $500 billion company is suddenly fine with ChatGPT talking dirty. The company's new "erotica for verified adults" policy follows the internet's oldest truth: that sex is the only thing people reliably pay for online. An AI companion boom that's minting $120 million this year alone is the latest proof.

Fresh off ditching its nonprofit status for a proper for-profit setup, OpenAI is chasing a market that's already seen 220 million downloads. While Congress clutches its pearls about teen safety and Character.AI faces wrongful death lawsuits, OpenAI sees what everyone else sees: companion apps are pulling 88% year-over-year growth, the top 10% are hoarding 89% of the revenue, and somebody's going to own this market. Why not the company that just restructured specifically to........

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