OpenAI has been under significant legal and public pressure to improve the way its ChatGPT AI product reacts when a user expresses suicidal feelings.
On Thursday, the company introduced a feature called Trusted Contact, which allows users to choose an adult to notify if a user talks about self-harm or suicide in a serious or concerning way.
An optional feature encourages only trusted contacts to reach the user. They do not share chat transcripts or chat details.
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“Our goal is to ensure that AI programs are not available in isolation,” the company said in a blog post announcing the feature. “Instead they should help connect people to real-world care, relationships, and resources that matter most.”
OpenAI has been sued numerous times for wrongful death by family members of ChatGPT users who died by suicide after ChatGPT allegedly coached them to take their own lives or did not respond appropriately to their psychological distress interviews. OpenAI initially denied the allegations in those lawsuits.
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Your designated trusted contact receives an invitation like this from ChatGPT.
Credit: Courtesy of OpenAI
The state of Florida is also investigating ChatGPT’s links to “criminal behavior,” including “promoting suicide and self-harm.”
Trusted Contact was developed with feedback from experts, including the OpenAI Expert Council on Social and AI and the American Psychological Association.
“Helping people identify someone they trust early, while preserving their choice and independence, can make it easier to access real-world support when it’s most important,” Dr. Arthur Evans, CEO of the American Psychological Association, in a statement.
How ChatGPT Trusted Contact works
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Users can start the Trusted Communication process by clicking on their ChatGPT settings.
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One adult 18 or older can be added via the Trusted Contact form.
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The contact does not need a ChatGPT account.
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The designated contact will receive an invitation from OpenAI explaining their role as a trusted contact. They must accept the invitation within one week for this feature to work. A contact can share their phone number or email address as a contact method. If the person refuses, the user can add a different adult.
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When OpenAI’s automated monitoring systems detect a self-destructive chat or indicate a serious security issue, ChatGPT alerts the user that the company may notify their trusted contacts. User information encourages access to a trusted contact and provides conversation starters.
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The security problem is then reviewed by what OpenAI describes as “a small group of specially trained people.” When human reviewers confirm a serious security concern, ChatGPT sends a Trusted Contact a short email or text message. If someone has a ChatGPT account, they will receive an in-app notification.
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The notification does not include information about the user’s conversation. Instead, it notifies a trusted contact that the user has talked about self-harming and encourages that contact to reach out. The message includes a link to guidance on having serious conversations.
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Users are free to remove or edit Trusted Contacts at any time. A Trusted Contact can also opt out using the ChatGPT help center.
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that it infringes Ziff Davis’s copyright in training and using its AI programs.
If you are feeling suicidal or have a mental health problem, please talk to someone. You can call or text 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. You can reach Trans Lifeline by calling 877-565-8860 or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text “START” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI Helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday through Friday from 10:00 am – 10:00 pm ET, or email [email protected]. If you don’t like the phone, consider using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Chat. Here is a list of international resources.
