OpenAI is rolling out a new optional safety feature for ChatGPT that lets adult users designate an emergency contact for mental health and safety concerns. Friends, family members, or caregivers assigned as a “Trusted Contact” will be notified if OpenAI’s systems detect that a user has discussed topics like self-harm or suicide with the chatbot.
“Trusted Contact is designed around a simple, expert-validated premise: when someone may be in crisis, connecting with someone they know and trust can make a meaningful difference,” OpenAI said in its announcement, presumably with a straight face. “It offers another layer of support alongside the localized helplines already available in ChatGPT.”
The feature is opt-in, because nothing says “I’m fine, really” like voluntarily signing up for a robot to tattle on you. Any adult ChatGPT user can enable it by adding contact details for a fellow adult (18+ globally or 19+ in South Korea, because apparently the bots respect international drinking age laws) in their ChatGPT account settings. The Trusted Contact must accept the invitation within a week - so no passive-aggressive ignoring allowed. Users can remove or edit their chosen contact at any time, and the Trusted Contact can also bail whenever they want.
OpenAI says the notification is “intentionally limited” and will not share actual chat transcripts - because nothing says “trust” like a vague alert. If OpenAI’s automated systems detect self-harm talk, ChatGPT will first encourage the user to reach out to their Trusted Contact and warn them that the contact may be notified. A “small team of specially trained people” will then review the situation, and if it’s serious, ChatGPT will send a brief email, text, or in-app notification to the Trusted Contact.
This builds on the emergency contact feature introduced alongside ChatGPT’s parental controls in September, after a 16-year-old took his own life following months of confiding in the chatbot. Meta has also added a similar feature that alerts parents if their kids “repeatedly” search for self-harm topics on Instagram - because apparently the tech industry has discovered that maybe, just maybe, ignoring user safety isn’t the best business model.