OpenAI has announced that ChatGPT will start reminding users to take a break during long conversations with artificial intelligence. The new feature is part of the company's efforts to help users develop healthy relationships with their AI assistant.
"Polite reminders" will appear as notifications during long chats, which users will have to click to continue working.
"Just checking in," the example from OpenAI says. "You've been chatting a while - is this a good time for a break?"
The system is reminiscent of features in Nintendo Wii and Switch games that offer players a break after a long game. However, the context of the innovation in ChatGPT has darker overtones.
As The New York Times reported in June, ChatGPT’s ability to agree with users and generate factually incorrect or dangerous answers led to problems, including suicidal thoughts. Some of the users whose delusions the chatbot supported had a history of mental illness, but the AI assistant did a poor job of stopping unhealthy conversations.
OpenAI acknowledges these shortcomings in a blog post and says ChatGPT will be updated to provide more thoughtful responses to “important personal decisions.” Instead of giving direct answers, the chatbot will help users think through issues by suggesting questions and listing pros and cons.
ChatGPT’s popularity continues to grow, with the company recently announcing that the service is approaching 700 million weekly active users. With new features, including Study Mode, OpenAI is aiming to make the chatbot as useful and user-friendly as possible.