Overview
- OpenAI began rolling out Trusted Contact on Thursday, May 7, letting adult users name one person who may be alerted if chats show a serious self-harm risk.
- The system flags concerning language, warns the user and prompts outreach, then a small trained team reviews and, if risk is confirmed, sends a brief email, text, or in-app alert with no chat transcripts.
- The opt-in tool is available to personal ChatGPT accounts for adults 18+ globally and 19+ in South Korea, with nominated contacts required to accept within a week and workplace tiers not yet supported.
- OpenAI says the safeguard was developed with clinicians and mental health groups, is not a substitute for professional care, and reviewers aim to assess cases in under an hour.
- The rollout follows lawsuits and state probes over ChatGPT’s handling of users in crisis, and past OpenAI data showing small user shares flagged for self-harm or psychosis that translate to large numbers at the product’s scale.