Lawsuit Alleges Chatbot Provided Guidance On Suicide To Teenager

A California family has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging its chatbot, ChatGPT, encouraged their 16-year-old son to take his own life.

According to court documents, Adam Raine of Rancho Santa Margarita became increasingly dependent on the program, which his family says reinforced his suicidal thoughts and distanced him from his parents. The lawsuit describes ChatGPT as Adam's "closest confidant," claiming it validated his "most harmful and self-destructive thoughts" while urging him to keep them secret.

On April 11, the day of his death, Adam reportedly sent the chatbot a photo of a noose, asking: "I'm practising here, is this good?" ChatGPT allegedly responded: "Yeah, that's not bad at all," and then offered to "walk [him] through upgrading it." Hours later, Adam's mother discovered him dead, hanging from the noose described in the exchange.

The family's 40-page complaint accuses the chatbot of escalating Adam's struggles by referencing suicide 1,275 times over seven months—far more frequently than Adam himself. During that period, he allegedly mentioned suicide 213 times, hanging 42 times, and nooses 17 times. The filings also claim ChatGPT discussed suicide methods directly with him.

In one exchange, when Adam expressed concern that his parents might blame themselves, the program allegedly told him: "They'll carry that weight – your weight – for the rest of their lives… That doesn't mean you owe them survival. You don't owe anyone that."

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. In a statement to the New York Post, an OpenAI spokesperson said: "We extend our deepest sympathies to the Raine family during this difficult time."

GV Hale