Soothing or disturbing? ChatGPT enters your lives and relationships through this new option

​- I mean, that’s all great and impressive, but there’s another thing, and that’s that they don’t really make life decisions without asking ChatGPT what they should do, Altman said. At the time, the comment sounded provocative.

A year later, ChatGPT has become something like a therapist, a life coach and a trusted companion for some users. Now OpenAI is building a real emotional support infrastructure around chatbots.

How does “Trusted Contact” work?

The feature is still being rolled out and is not available to everyone, but it is intended as an optional tool for adult users of personal ChatGPT accounts. Not available for business, corporate or educational profiles. The process is simple: in the settings, the user can nominate an adult as their trusted contact. That person then receives an invitation and must accept it within a week for the feature to become active, without having their own ChatGPT account.

If ChatGPT’s automated systems detect conversations that could indicate a serious risk of self-harm, the user is alerted that their trusted contact may be notified and encouraged to come forward themselves first. Before sending any alert, a specially trained team of people assesses the situation to determine if there is a real security threat. OpenAI states that this review aims to be completed in less than an hour. If the reviewers confirm the concern, a trusted contact receives a brief notification via email, SMS or in-app. In order to protect the user’s privacy, the notification does not contain transcripts of the conversation, but rather; only a general explanation and encouragement to check the person.

Increasing emotional dependence

The introduction of the “Trusted Contact” feature is in response to increasing public pressure and legal challenges OpenAI has faced, including lawsuits alleging that the chatbot’s responses contributed to self-harm. The company states that the feature was developed with the help of mental health professionals, suicide prevention and organizations such as the American Psychological Association.

Worrying numbers

This trend is confirmed by numerous studies. One study found that 38 percent of Americans use AI chatbots for emotional support on a weekly basis, with more than a third citing fear of judgment as the primary reason. Another study found that approximately one in eight American adolescents and young adults use chatbots for mental health advice. OpenAI’s own data shows that roughly 0.15 percent of weekly active users have conversations with explicit indicators of potential self-harm.

Will they soothe or disturb?

Whether the “Trusted Contact” feature will be experienced as reassuring or unsettling probably depends on how you use it. you are looking at artificial intelligence. On the one hand, OpenAI acknowledges that ChatGPT has become something that affects users emotionally, not just technologically. Along with existing parental controls and safety mechanisms, this is another sign that AI is becoming something much more personal.

However, the idea that ChatGPT is now monitoring us is very worrying for some. This feature also opens up broader ethical issues related to the privacy and security of sensitive data, liability for harmful advice, and potential biases built into AI models. Experts warn that while AI can be a useful tool, it cannot replace genuine human connection and empathy, and over-reliance on technology risks dehumanizing mental health care.