ChatGPT has a feature to help those in crisis. But where can you find it?

Chat GPT says it has feature that allows a user to give ChatGPT info about someone they trust that the chatbot can contact if the user is in distress. Malte Mueller/Getty Images/fStop hide caption

Note to reader: this story discusses people grappling with thoughts of suicide.

More than a million weekly users of the chatbot ChatGPT discuss suicide and self-harm, according to NPR estimates of data released by OpenAI last fall. But suicide prevention experts say human connection is critical to preventing suicide. So, back in May, the company started an optional feature called Trusted Contact to connect those struggling with thoughts of suicide and self harm to someone they can turn to in times of emotional crises.

NPR first reported about Trusted Contact in August as part of a story about a young woman who died by suicide in 2024 after using an older version of ChatGPT as a therapist. At the time, OpenAI spokesperson Gaby Raila told NPR in an email that ChatGPT is trained to recognize signs that someone may be at risk — including indirect cues or warning signs that emerge over time. If the chatbot detects a serious safety risk in a user, it will alert their Trusted Contact — if they have one listed.

Raila said that the company has seen "good adoption" of the feature, but didn't provide actual numbers.

NPR wanted to see how ChatGPT tells users about the new optional feature — so they can sign up right away, before any crisis — like people listing an emergency contact at a doctor's office.

I'm a ChatGPT user, but I'd never been alerted about Trusted Contact. Neither had my editor, nor several other users we checked with.

So, I wondered if the bot alerts new users. My colleague Megan Lim , a producer at NPR's All Things Considered , had never used the chatbot before and volunteered to give it a try.