OpenAI, 자해 위험 시 '신뢰할 수 있는 연락처' 알림 기능 도입

On Thursday OpenAI announced a new feature called Trusted Contact, designed to alert a trusted third-party if ideations of self-harm are expressed within a conversation. The feature allows an adult ChatGPT user to designate another person as a trusted contact within their account, such as a friend or family member. In cases where a conversation may turn to self-harm, OpenAI will now encourage the user to reach out to that contact. It also sends an automated alert to the contact, encouraging them to check in with the user. OpenAI has faced a wave of lawsuits from the families of people who have committed suicide after talking with its chatbot. In a number of cases, the families say ChatGPT encouraged their loved one to kill themselves—or even helped them plan it out . OpenAI currently uses a combination of automation and human review to handle potentially harmful incidents. Certain conversational triggers alert the company's system to suicidal ideations, which then relay the information to a human safety team. The company claims that every time it receives this kind of notification, the incident is reviewed by a human. "We strive to review these safety notifications in under one hour," the company says. If OpenAI's internal team decides that the situation represents a serious safety risk, ChatGPT proceeds to send the trusted contact an alert—either by email, text message, or an in-app notification. The alert is designed to be brief and to encourage the contact to check in with the person in question. It does not include detailed information about what was being discussed, as a means of protecting the user's privacy, the company says. The Trusted Contact feature follows the safeguards the company introduced last September that gave parents the power to have some oversight of their teens' accounts, including the reception of safety notifications designed to alert the parent if OpenAI's system believes their child is facing a "serious safety risk." For some time now, ChatGPT has also included automated alerts to seek professional health services, should a conversation trend towards the topic of self harm. Crucially, Trust Contact is optional and, even if the protection is activated on a particular account, any user can have multiple ChatGPT accounts. OpenAI's parental controls are also optional, presenting a similar limitation. "Trusted Contact is part of OpenAI’s broader effort to build AI systems that help people during difficult moments ," the company wrote in the announcement post. "We will continue to work with clinicians, researchers, and policymakers to improve how AI systems respond when people may be experiencing distress." Techcrunch event This Week Only: Buy one pass, get the second at 50% off Your next round. Your next hire. Your next breakout opportunity. Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, powerful introductions, and market-defining innovation. Register before May 8 to bring a +1 at half the cost. This Week Only: Buy one pass, get the second at 50% off Your next round. Your next hire. Your next breakout opportunity. Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, powerful introductions, and market-defining innovation. Register before May 8 to bring a +1 at half the cost. San Francisco, CA | October 13-15, 2026 REGISTER NOW Topics AI , AI , ChatGPT , OpenAI , TC When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission . This doesn’t affect our editorial independence. Lucas Ropek Senior Writer, TechCrunch Lucas is a senior writer at TechCrunch, where he covers artificial intelligence, consumer tech, and startups. He previously covered AI and cybersecurity at Gizmodo. You can contact Lucas by emailing lucas.ropek@techcrunch.com. View Bio May 27 Athens, Greece StrictlyVC Athens is up next. Hear unfiltered insights straight from Europe’s tech leaders and connect with the people shaping what’s ahead. Lock in your spot before it’s gone. REGISTER NOW Most Popular reMarkable's new Paper Pure tablet goes back to basics with a monochrome screen Ivan Mehta As workers worry about AI, Nvidia's Jensen Huang says AI is ‘creating an enormous number of jobs' Lucas Ropek Anthropic and OpenAI are both launching joint ventures for enterprise AI services Russell Brandom Ouster's new color lidar is coming to replace cameras Sean O'Kane We'll take it: A TikToker rallies pledges to buy Spirit Airlines after its abrupt weekend collapse Connie Loizos This tiny, magnetic e-reader could stop you from doomscrolling Amanda Silberling Uber wants to turn its millions of drivers into a sensor grid for self-driving companies Connie Loizos