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Can these ChatGPT updates make the chatbot safer for mental health?

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ZDNET's key takeaways

OpenAI is reducing undesirable behavior in its chatbot.

It saw a 65% reduction in unsatisfactory responses.

The updates aim not to encourage users in crisis.

After calls to publicly demonstrate how the company is creating a safer experience for those experiencing mental health episodes, OpenAI announced improvements to its latest model, GPT-5, on Monday.

Also: Even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman thinks you shouldn't trust AI for therapy

The company says these improvements create a model that can more reliably respond to people showing signs of mania, psychosis, self-harm and suicidal ideation, and emotional attachment.

As a result, non-compliant ChatGPT responses -- those that push users further away from reality or worsen their mental condition -- have decreased under OpenAI's new guidelines, the company said in the blog post. OpenAI estimated that the updates to GPT-5 "reduced the rate of responses that do not fully comply with desired behavior" by 65% in conversations with users about mental health issues.

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