OpenAI ChatGPT-5 introduction displayed on smartphone screen

(Cheng Xin/Getty Images)

OpenAI announces plan for flagging mental health crises and adding teen controls

A recent flurry of news reports highlights how teens and users facing mental health crises turn to ChatGPT for help, but the tool lacks features needed to alert others and dissuade self-harm.

Jon Keegan

9/2/25 10:57AM

Over the past few weeks, a number of alarming stories have surfaced describing ChatGPT users who turned to the AI chatbot for help during mental health crises, only to have the tool encourage their plans for self-harm.

In August, a Connecticut man killed his mother then himself after ChatGPT reportedly encouraged his paranoid delusions.
In April, A 16-year-old died of suicide after conversations with ChatGPT in which the chatbot provided specific information about how to kill himself.
In a New York Times op-ed, a mother shared the story of how her 29-year-old daughter had shared her suicidal thoughts with a ChatGPT “therapist” persona, yet it failed to alert anyone — something a real mental health professional would have done. ChatGPT helped the woman write her suicide note.

Today, ChatGPT maker OpenAI announced a 120-day plan to roll out new protections for identifying and helping users who may be facing a mental health crisis, including adding parental controls — even though they wouldn’t have helped in two of these cases.

The company plans to partner with councils of mental health and medical professionals to “shape a clear, evidence-based vision for how AI can support people’s well-being and help them thrive,” according to a blog post announcing the changes.

OpenAI said it also will route sensitive conversations to its “reasoning models,” which take longer to craft more accurate and helpful responses.

As kids head back to school, ChatGPT use is climbing as students widely adopt the tool for help with schoolwork. The planned parental control system will allow parents to link their teen’s account to theirs, control how ChatGPT responds, control features like chat history, and receive notifications when the system identifies “acute distress” in the teens’ conversations.

Jon Keegan9h

Report: Amodei told staff that Anthropic was targeted for lack of “dictator-style praise” for Trump

More details are leaking out from Anthropic about how CEO Dario Amodei explained the company’s dramatic schism with the Pentagon over its AI terms of use.

The Information shared details from a leaked 1,600-word memo to employees that Amodei reportedly sent on Friday after the Trump administration attacked the startup.

Per the report, Amodei told his staff that the reason the company was on the outs with the Trump administration was the fact that it had not given “dictator-style praise” to President Trump, “(while Sam has),” referring to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Amodei also noted that OpenAI President Greg Brockman and his wife donated $25 million to the MAGA Inc super PAC, which likely put their competitor in the good graces of Trump and co.

Anthropic CEO Memo: Trump Disliked Company For Not Giving ‘Dictator-Style Praise’

Amodei also noted that OpenAI President Greg Brockman and his wife donated $25 million to the MAGA Inc super PAC, which likely put their competitor in the good graces of Trump and co.

Rani Molla11h

“Fortnite” returning to the Play Store worldwide after Google lowers fees and opens Android

After years of fighting with “Fortnite” maker Epic Games, Google is hitting reset on Android — cutting Play Store fees, loosening its grip on billing, and making it easier for rival app stores to set up shop on millions of devices.

The move could also dent one of Google’s lucrative businesses: Play Store commissions.

In a blog post Tuesday, Google said it will let developers use their own billing systems alongside Google Play’s, link out to external purchase pages, and distribute apps through third-party app stores that meet Google’s safety standards. The company is also lowering Play Store fees in key markets, with billing fees around 5% for developers that use Google’s system, service fees roughly 20% on new installs, and subscription fees around 10%. The changes will roll out on a staggered schedule, beginning mid-2026.

In a corresponding post, Epic said “Fortnite” would expand worldwide on Google Play. “These changes will evolve Android into a true open platform,” the company wrote. “Fortnite” returned to the Play Store in the US in December after the two companies reached a settlement following years of antitrust battles.

Google’s Changes Will Open Android Devices to Competition

Rani Molla14h

Apple debuts $599 Google Chromebook competitor

Apple’s latest product announcement this week is an opening salvo against Google’s ubiquitous Chromebook. On Wednesday, the iPhone maker unveiled the MacBook Neo, which starts at $599 — or $499 for students — the lowest price ever for a MacBook. Apple typically skews to the high end of the market.

The Neo is still more expensive than typical Chromebooks, which are hugely popular in schools, but it’s less stripped down, with a sharper display, aluminum case, and a more powerful processor than many Chromebook models.

Say hello to MacBook Neo

Rani Molla

14h

Musk says Tesla will be one of first companies to reach AGI

He also said we’d reach artificial general intelligence within two years... about two years ago.

Elon Musk Speaks During A town Hall Event In Green Bay, Wisconsin

Rani Molla17h

Bank of America upgrades Tesla, expecting it to “quickly become a leader in robotaxi services”

Tesla jumped in premarket trading after Bank of America reinstated coverage of the EV maker and upgraded it to “buy” from “hold,” with a price target of $460.

“We expect TSLA to quickly become a leader in robotaxi services, given its ability to scale more profitably than competitors,” analyst Alexander Perry wrote, noting that Tesla’s approach eschews more expensive (but more robust) technology like lidar.

BofA says Tesla’s Robotaxi service could amount to $844 billion in equity value and more than half Tesla’s valuation.

Currently, Robotaxi operates in two markets with heavy human oversight. In Austin, most of the rides involve a safety monitor sitting in the front seat, and in the Bay Area, all rides are driven by a human using supervised Full Self-Driving tech.

Alphabet subsidiary Waymo, meanwhile, is currently operating its driverless ride-hailing service in 10 US markets.