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ChatGPT is getting break reminders and better mental health detection to encourage healthier interactions – here’s how they work
- ChatGPT is getting new well-being features
- Users will be encouraged to take breaks during long sessions
- OpenAI is consulting with health professionals
AI chatbots are now regularly being used for various types of emotional support – as therapists, for example, or as dating advisors – and OpenAI has announced new changes to its ChatGPT bot that should look after it users’ health and well-being.
“To us, helping you thrive means being there when you’re struggling, helping you stay in control of your time, and guiding – not deciding – when you face personal challenges,” explains OpenAI in a new blog post.
Several new features are being rolled out to encourage healthier interactions, including “gentle reminders” during “long sessions” that will ask if you think it’s time to take a break or you’d rather carry on chatting to the AI.
OpenAI also says ChatGPT is going to get better at spotting “signs of mental or emotional distress”, and if they are detected, will guide users towards appropriate resources – rather than doing anything to make the situation worse.
High-stakes personal decisions
Users are posing important life questions such as ‘should I break up with my boyfriend?’ to AI these days – though it’s not clear why they would think a Large Language Model would have anything insightful to say on the matter.
When these types of questions about “high-stakes personal decisions” crop up, OpenAI says, ChatGPT will refrain from giving direct answers. Instead, it will help users weigh up the pros and cons and think about what their options are.
In addition, OpenAI says it’s speaking to experts in mental and physical health to better understand how to handle chats with people who could be in a vulnerable state of mind while they’re interacting with ChatGPT.
These improvements are an ongoing work in progress, the blog post goes on to say, so you might not see all of these tweaks appear right away. In the meantime, we’re awaiting the long-rumored launch of GPT-5, which could appear in the next few weeks.
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