OpenAI confirms GPT-5 is now better at handling mental and emotional distress

OpenAI confirmed that it shipped an update on October 5, which allows GPT-5 to better handle sensitive conversations.

After the update, GPT will automatically recognize when the user is not doing well, including situations like emotional or mental distress.

However, OpenAI says only GPT-5 Instant has been updated to handle such use cases.

GPT-5 Instant is one of the fastest and low-end models in the lineup. It’s also the default model most of the time, especially if you have a free account.

But what if you’re conversing with a GPT-5-thinking model and it detects emotional distress or a related topic? It’ll automatically route your request to GPT-5 Instant.

“We’ve been using our real-time router to direct sensitive parts of conversations—such as those showing signs of acute distress—to reasoning models. GPT-5 Instant now performs just as well as GPT-5 Thinking on these types of questions,” OpenAI noted in a new support document.

In our tests, BleepingComputer previously found that GPT-5 automatically routes requests through different models depending on the question.

In fact, if you choose GPT-5-instant specifically, GPT will still route your request through a thinking model if it thinks a different model can answer better.

OpenAI says it worked with health experts on its new GPT-5 update

OpenAI insists that these updates were guided by mental health experts and help ChatGPT de-escalate conversations.

OpenAI will point people to real-world crisis resources when appropriate, while still using language that feels supportive and grounding.

GPT-5 was updated with emotional support earlier this month, and the updated model is now available for everyone.

In addition, OpenAI confirmed ChatGPT can now access your organization’s context from your connected apps.

GPT’s Company Knowledge support works through Slack, SharePoint, Google Drive, GitHub, HubSpot, Asana, and other connectors.

This is similar to how Microsoft 365 Copilot works.

Like Microsoft’s AI solution, GPT can now provide answers tailored to your company and projects, as it has access to all relevant information.