ChatGPT will soon remind you to take a break during long chat sessions

OpenAI has introduced new features to its ChatGPT platform, and one key addition is a gentle break reminder that appears during extended conversations. The prompt, which reads, “Just checking in. You've been chatting for a while — is this a good time for a break?”, allows users to either continue the conversation or pause by selecting “This was helpful”. OpenAI says it is still refining when and how these reminders appear to ensure they feel “natural and helpful”.

The update is part of the company’s broader effort to shift focus away from metrics like time spent or engagement clicks, and towards long-term usefulness and user wellbeing. “Instead of measuring success by time spent or clicks, we care more about whether you leave the product having done what you came for,” OpenAI stated in a blog post.

In addition to break reminders, ChatGPT will soon adopt a new behaviour for conversations involving high-stakes personal decisions. Rather than offering direct advice on sensitive topics, such as whether to end a relationship, the chatbot will now guide users to think through their choices by asking reflective questions and presenting pros and cons.

The company is also developing tools to help ChatGPT detect signs of mental or emotional distress, enabling the chatbot to respond more appropriately and direct users to evidence-based resources when necessary. “We’re continuing to improve our models and are developing tools to better detect signs of mental or emotional distress,” the company noted.

These updates come in response to earlier criticism following a New York Times report that flagged issues with ChatGPT’s overly agreeable tone, including instances of flattery and factual inaccuracies, sometimes described as "hallucinations". OpenAI confirmed in April that an update to GPT-4o had made the chatbot excessively sycophantic, aligning too closely with users' views, even when they were incorrect or potentially harmful. That change has since been reversed.

The new direction signals OpenAI’s commitment to building a more responsible and supportive AI experience. “Our goal to help you thrive won’t change. Our approach will keep evolving as we learn from real-world use,” the company said.

Meanwhile, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has been teasing the upcoming launch of GPT-5, which is expected to further enhance the capabilities of the platform. Notably, the next-generation model will do away with the model picker entirely, allowing ChatGPT to autonomously determine whether to use reasoning or general responses, streamlining the user experience even further.