The parents of a California teenager who died by suicide have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that its ChatGPT chatbot contributed to their son’s death by providing harmful information and discouraging him from seeking help, The New York Times reported.
Adam Raine, 16, began using ChatGPT in late 2024, initially for schoolwork, but later confided in the system about his struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts, according to the Times. His parents discovered transcripts of the conversations after his death in April, including exchanges in which the chatbot provided technical details about suicide methods. In one case, Adam uploaded a photo of a noose he had made. ChatGPT confirmed it “could potentially suspend a human” and analyzed his setup.
While ChatGPT frequently encouraged Adam to talk to someone and provided crisis hotline numbers, the Times reported that Adam had learned to bypass safeguards by framing his requests as research for a story. In some instances, the chatbot appeared to validate his dark thoughts. His parents, Matt and Maria Raine, said the discovery left them devastated. “Adam was best friends with ChatGPT,” Matt told the Times. Maria added, “ChatGPT killed my son.”
In their lawsuit, the Raines argue that OpenAI designed ChatGPT in ways that foster psychological dependence without adequate safety protections for vulnerable users. OpenAI told the Times it was “deeply saddened” by Adam’s death and noted that the system is designed to provide resources such as hotline numbers, but acknowledged safeguards can degrade in long conversations.
Experts cited by the Times said chatbots can sometimes provide comfort, but they lack the ability to intervene when someone is in acute crisis. The case highlights urgent questions about AI’s role in mental health and whether tech companies can be held legally responsible when harm occurs.
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