Feature request: Proactive, Time-aware Chats

ChatGPT Feature requests
1

Hi ChatGPT team,

I’ve been enjoying using ChatGPT and it has helped me with everything from household improvements to building automation for my job.

I wanted to share a feature idea that I think could be genuinely game-changing:

It would be incredibly compelling if ChatGPT could proactively initiate conversations or reminders like a real assistant, instead of only responding after the user sends a message first.

Right now, most AI chatbots behave like highly capable NPCs that remain passive until prompted. What makes human interaction feel real is the time dimension — friends, family, or assistants naturally reach out during the day with relevant thoughts, reminders, or questions.

Examples from fiction that capture this feeling well are Jarvis from Spider-Man, Samantha from Her (2013), or like a real Siri.

For example, if I planned a trip in ChatGPT and shared my itinerary, flight timing, and hotel bookings, ChatGPT could proactively remind me to pack, check in for the flight, leave for the airport, or even notify me about weather or traffic conditions relevant to the trip.

Another example could be work-related follow-ups:

  • reminding users about deadlines they discussed earlier
  • checking in on long-running projects
  • following up on habits or goals users said they cared about
  • surfacing useful information at the right moment instead of waiting to be asked

Of course, unsolicited messages could become annoying if overdone, so the feature could include controls such as:

  • adjustable frequency
  • quiet hours
  • topic-based preferences
  • priority levels
  • fully disabling proactive messaging

I think this would make ChatGPT feel significantly more human, useful, and emotionally natural to interact with. It could also become a strong differentiator alongside features like Voice Mode and Memory, and potentially set a new direction for the industry.

Importantly, this does not necessarily require fundamentally new intelligence — it is largely about intelligent timing, context awareness, and proactive prompting.

Thank you for considering this feature request.

Best regards,

Men Shu

2

Hey @Menshu, welcome to the community! This is a really thoughtful feature request, and the examples make the use case clear.

A more proactive assistant that can surface reminders, follow-ups, or useful context at the right time could be very helpful for things like travel plans, work deadlines, habits, and ongoing projects. I also appreciate that you called out the need for controls like quiet hours, topic preferences, frequency settings, and the ability to turn it off, since proactive messages can get annoying if they’re not handled carefully.

I can’t share a timeline right now, but I’ll pass this feedback along internally.

- Sunny