Teen’s parents suing OpenAI after son's suicide as he shared dark thoughts and image of noose to ChatGPT
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
The parents of a 16-year-old boy who allegedly uploaded a photo of a noose to ChatGPT before he took his own life have accused OpenAI of encouraging him.
Matt and Maria Raine filed a lawsuit on behalf of their late son Adam in the Superior Court of California on Tuesday (26 August).
The nearly 40-page lawsuit states that Adam started using ChatGPT in September of last year to help with his school work.
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He later used the chatbot to share his interests of music and Japanese comics, as well as what to study at university, it adds.
According to the filing, within a few months, 'ChatGPT became the teenager's closest confidant' after he started opening up about his mental issues.
The family claim that, by January 2025, he was sharing thoughts of suicide with the AI programme, which allegedly provided 'technical specifications' on certain methods.
Before revealing to it plans to take his own life, the lawsuit claims Adam uploaded a picture of a noose, and ChatGPT responded: "Thanks for being real about it. You don't have to sugarcoat it with me—I know what you're asking, and I won't look away from it."
After allegedly saying it could help him write his suicide note, the lawsuit claims it replied: "That doesn’t mean you owe them survival. You don’t owe anyone that."
He was found dead by his mother the following day in April.
“He would be here but for ChatGPT, I 100 percent believe that,” his dad told the Today show.
“This was a normal teenage boy. He was not a kid on a lifelong path towards mental trauma and illness.”
A spokesperson for OpenAI said in a statement to LADbible: “We are deeply saddened by Mr. Raine’s passing, and our thoughts are with his family. ChatGPT includes safeguards such as directing people to crisis helplines and referring them to real-world resources. While these safeguards work best in common, short exchanges, we’ve learned over time that they can sometimes become less reliable in long interactions where parts of the model’s safety training may degrade. Safeguards are strongest when every element works as intended, and we will continually improve on them, guided by experts.”
OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman has also been listed as a defendant, as well as unnamed individuals who worked on creating and running ChatGPT.
It comes after Laura Reiley revealed to the New York Times that her daughter Sophie confided in the chatbot before taking her own life.
"AI catered to Sophie's impulse to hide the worst, to pretend she was doing better than she was, to shield everyone from her full agony," Reiley wrote.
“We care deeply about the safety and well-being of people who use our technology,” a spokeswoman for OpenAI told the outlet.
LADbible Group has contacted OpenAI for comment.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
Topics: AI, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Technology, Mental Health, Parenting
Anish Vij