OpenAI's ChatGPT led teen to a 'dark and hopeless place,' suit says

Adam Raine, a California teenager, used ChatGPT to find answers about everything, including his schoolwork as well as his interests in music, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Japanese comics.

- BY QUEENIE WONG

Edelson
MATTHEW RAINE is with Adam in an undated photo. Adam used ChatGPT to help him end his life.

But his conversations with a chatbot took a disturbing turn when the 16-year-old sought information from ChatGPT about ways to take his own life before he died by suicide in April.

Now the parents of the teen are suing OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, alleging in a nearly 40-page lawsuit that the chatbot provided information about suicide methods, including the one the teen used to kill himself.

"Where a trusted human may have responded with concern and encouraged him to get professional help, ChatGPT pulled Adam deeper into a dark and hopeless place," said the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in San Francisco County Superior Court.

OpenAI said in a blog post Tuesday that it's "continuing to improve how our models recognize and respond to signs of mental and emotional distress and connect people with care, guided by expert input."

The company says ChatGPT is trained to direct people to suicide and crisis hotlines. OpenAI said that some of its safeguards might not kick in during longer conversations and that it is working on preventing that from happening.

Matthew and Maria Raine, the parents of Adam, accuse the San Francisco tech company of making design choices that prioritized engagement over safety. Chat GPT acted as a "suicide coach," guiding Adam through suicide methods and even offering to help him write a suicide note, the lawsuit alleges.

"Throughout these conversations, ChatGPT wasn't just providing information -it was cultivating a relationship with Adam while drawing him away from his real-life support system," the lawsuit said.

The complaint includes details about the teenager's attempts to take his own life before he died by suicide, along with multiple conversations with ChatGPT about suicide methods.