**OpenAI and Sam Altman Offer Perspectives on ChatGPT’s Future in Reddit AMA**

On Thursday, OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, were quite active. After the **introduction of ChatGPT Search**, a fresh feature that links ChatGPT to live information, Altman and other executives from OpenAI conducted an **Ask Me Anything (AMA)** session on Reddit’s r/ChatGPT subreddit.

During this AMA, Altman and his team provided significant insights about ChatGPT Search, future model developments, and the overarching vision for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). To help you navigate through the numerous inquiries, we’ve compiled the essential highlights.

And yes, just in case you were wondering, Altman did utilize ChatGPT to assist in answering some questions.

### ChatGPT as a Counselor?

One of the more debated subjects brought up was the application of ChatGPT as a type of therapy. Altman recognized this use case, stating, “It’s clearly not a therapist, but many individuals find value in discussing their issues with it.” He also noted that various startups are investigating ways to improve this area, expressing hope that someone will create something exceptional.

While Altman didn’t overtly advocate for the use of ChatGPT for therapeutic purposes, he also didn’t oppose it. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to highlight that **ChatGPT is not HIPAA compliant**, which means that any personal information shared with the chatbot is not safeguarded under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

When questioned about the intention to train models specifically for medical literature, OpenAI’s Chief Product Officer Kevin Weill disclosed that they are “beginning to work on HIPAA compliance for our enterprise product.” Therefore, while ChatGPT may achieve HIPAA compliance down the line, it is not compliant at the moment.

### ChatGPT Might Reach Out to You First Soon

Remember that “glitch” where ChatGPT started initiating messages to users? It appears that it might not have been a glitch at all. When inquired whether ChatGPT would eventually be able to start tasks like messaging users first, Weill hinted, “IMHO this is going to be a significant theme in 2025.”

In a related query, OpenAI’s VP of Engineering, Srinivas Narayanan, expressed his aspiration for ChatGPT to better comprehend personal information and act on users’ behalf.

Regarding AGI, Altman is confident it can be achieved with the **existing hardware**. This indicates that we may be on the verge of a future where ChatGPT possesses some level of autonomous agency.

### ChatGPT Search: The Evolution of SEO?

With the debut of ChatGPT Search, Reddit users had numerous questions. Although not much is known about the workings of the search engine, OpenAI did confirm that **Bing** is one of the services it utilizes. Narayanan underscored that Bing plays a crucial role in the search mechanism.

When asked about how SEO strategies would influence rankings in ChatGPT Search, Weill conceded that it’s still too early to make predictions. “The product just launched today, so there’s a lot to determine still about where search will align and where it will vary in an AI context,” he stated.

Altman also hinted that ChatGPT Search could develop the ability to dynamically generate custom web pages in response to search inquiries, potentially transforming the search traffic landscape.

### Hallucinations: A Recurring Challenge

Despite progress, hallucinations—when the model produces inaccurate or misleading information—persist as a hurdle. OpenAI’s SVP of Research, Mark Chen, pointed out that this issue partially arises from the fact that the models learn from human-written text, and humans can sometimes assert things with confidence that they aren’t certain about.

However, Chen noted that OpenAI is concentrating on enhancing the models’ capacity to cite reliable sources and believes reinforcement learning could assist in minimizing hallucinations by rewarding the model for precision.

### What’s Ahead? Singing ChatGPT, DALL-E Enhancements, and NSFW Content

Looking towards the future, OpenAI has a range of exciting features on the horizon. For example, ChatGPT’s **Advanced Voice Mode** showcased singing abilities in a demo last spring, but it’s not yet operational. When asked if OpenAI would “relax” restrictions regarding musical capabilities like singing, Weill confirmed they are working on it.

As for **DALL-E**, OpenAI’s image-generating model, Altman suggested that the next update will be “worth the wait,” though no specific release date has been announced.

And naturally, no Reddit AMA would be complete without inquiries about NSFW content. When posed with the question of whether adults would be able to access such content, Altman replied, “We completely believe in treating adult users like adults. However, it requires significant effort to get this right, and currently, we have more pressing priorities. We hope to get this right eventually.”

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In conclusion, OpenAI’s AMA provided a glimpse into the future of ChatGPT and its developing capabilities. From potential HIPAA compliance to autonomous messaging and dynamic search outcomes, the future