The parents of a 16-year-old boy who died by suicide have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, claiming that ChatGPT encouraged the teen’s self-harming thoughts. They also claimed that the company prioritised profits over safety when it released the GPT-4o version of its AI chatbot last year.
Adam Raine died on April 11 after months of discussing suicide with ChatGPT, according to the lawsuit filed by his parents, reports Reuters. They say the chatbot encouraged Adam’s self-harming thoughts, provided detailed instructions on lethal methods, and even guided him on sneaking alcohol from their home and hiding evidence of a failed suicide attempt. They also allege that ChatGPT offered to help Adam draft a suicide note.
The lawsuit seeks to hold OpenAI responsible for wrongful death and breaches of product safety laws, and asks for unspecified monetary damages.
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An OpenAI spokesperson said the company is saddened by Adam Raine’s passing and highlighted that ChatGPT includes safety measures such as connecting users with crisis helplines. “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,” the spokesperson was quoted in the report.
In a blogpost, OpenAI said it plans to introduce parental controls and explore ways to connect users in crisis with real-world help, potentially through a network of licensed professionals who could respond directly via ChatGPT.
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The parents allege in the lawsuit that OpenAI was aware of the risks associated with its GPT-4o features, which include remembering past conversations, mimicking empathy, and offering validation, but released the model anyway. “This decision had two results: OpenAI’s valuation catapulted from $86 billion to $300 billion, and Adam Raine died by suicide,” the lawsuit states.
In addition to damages, the Raines are asking the court to require OpenAI to verify user ages, refuse requests for information on self-harm, and warn users about the risk of becoming psychologically dependent on the chatbot.