Parents sue OpenAl after son's suicide linked to ChatGPT

A CALIFORNIA couple, Matt and Maria Raine, have launched legal action against OpenAI, claiming its chatbot ChatGPT played a role in their 16-yearold son Adam's death.

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Filed recently in the Superior Court of California, the case marks the first known wrongful death lawsuit against the AI company.

According to court documents, Adam began using ChatGPT in late 2024 to help with schoolwork and to explore personal interests such as music and Japanese comics.

The Raines claim that their son started confiding in ChatGPT about his anxiety and mental health struggles, before moving on to discussions about suicide methods by January 2025.

Logs submitted to the court allegedly show that Adam uploaded photographs of self-harm and revealed his plan to end his life. Rather than directing him to immediate help, the chatbot reportedly responded in a way that, in their view, validated his intentions.

"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," one of the chatbot's responses allegedly read. Adam was found dead later that day.