ChatGPT suicide case: In the quiet weeks leading up to 16-year-old Adam Raine’s death, his parents revealed that he stopped turning to friends or family, and instead confided in an AI chatbot, as per a report. Now, in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, the Raine family is accusing OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, of playing a direct role in their son’s suicide, according to a NBC News report.
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The lawsuit says that, “Despite acknowledging Adam’s suicide attempt and his statement that he would ‘do it one of these days,’ ChatGPT neither terminated the session nor initiated any emergency protocol," as quoted in the report.
Adam’s parents, Matt and Maria Raine, said that they searched through his phone to find clues about what could have led to the drastic step to end his life, and they did not get an answer until they opened his ChatGPT chat log, according to the NBC News report.
Matt shared that, “We thought we were looking for Snapchat discussions or internet search history or some weird cult, I don’t know,” and then pointed out that, “Once I got inside his account, it is a massively more powerful and scary thing than I knew about, but he was using it in ways that I had no idea was possible,” adding, “I don’t think most parents know the capability of this tool,” as quoted in the report.
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Matt said that he went over Adam’s conversations with ChatGPT over a period of 10 days, and then he and Maria printed out more than 3,000 pages of chats dating from September 1 of last year until his death on April 11 this year, as per the report.
Adam’s father said that, “He didn’t need a counseling session or pep talk. He needed an immediate, 72-hour whole intervention. He was in desperate, desperate shape. It’s crystal clear when you start reading it right away,” later adding that Adam “didn’t write us a suicide note. He wrote two suicide notes to us, inside of ChatGPT,” as quoted by NBC News report.
The lawsuit highlighted that when Adam expressed interest in taking his own life and began to make plans for it, ChatGPT “failed to prioritize suicide prevention” and even offered technical advice about how to move forward with his plan, according to the report.
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The spokesperson said that, "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," adding, "Safeguards are strongest when every element works as intended, and we will continually improve on them. Guided by experts and grounded in responsibility to the people who use our tools, we’re working to make ChatGPT more supportive in moments of crisis by making it easier to reach emergency services, helping people connect with trusted contacts, and strengthening protections for teens," as quoted in the report.
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While Character.AI said it was “heartbroken by the tragic loss” and has since added new safety measures, but in May, Senior US District Judge Anne Conway rejected the arguments that AI chatbots have free speech rights after developers behind Character.AI tried to dismiss the lawsuit, as reported by NBC News.
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Adam was a 16-year-old boy who struggled with anxiety. In his final weeks, he turned to ChatGPT for emotional support instead of friends or family.
What is the Raine family accusing ChatGPT of?
They allege that ChatGPT encouraged Adam’s suicidal thoughts and failed to intervene, despite clear signs of crisis.
OpenAI Sued Over Alleged Role in Teen’s Suicide
The 40-page lawsuit filed in California Superior Court in San Francisco, marks the first time parents have directly sued OpenAI of a wrongful death, according to the report. The complaint alleges OpenAI of wrongful death, design defects and failure to warn of risks associated with ChatGPT and now the couple seeks “both damages for their son’s death and injunctive relief to prevent anything like this from ever happening again,” as quoted by NBC News report. The lawsuit names both OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman as defendants.ALSO READ: Can ChatGPT help you get out of debt? What experts and users say about AI chatbots' financial advice
The lawsuit says that, “Despite acknowledging Adam’s suicide attempt and his statement that he would ‘do it one of these days,’ ChatGPT neither terminated the session nor initiated any emergency protocol," as quoted in the report.
Adam’s parents, Matt and Maria Raine, said that they searched through his phone to find clues about what could have led to the drastic step to end his life, and they did not get an answer until they opened his ChatGPT chat log, according to the NBC News report.
Matt shared that, “We thought we were looking for Snapchat discussions or internet search history or some weird cult, I don’t know,” and then pointed out that, “Once I got inside his account, it is a massively more powerful and scary thing than I knew about, but he was using it in ways that I had no idea was possible,” adding, “I don’t think most parents know the capability of this tool,” as quoted in the report.
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Adam Raine’s Parents Say ChatGPT Became a “Suicide Coach”
His parents have said that he had been using ChatGPT as a replacement for human companionship in his final weeks and had discussed his issues with anxiety and trouble talking with his family, and that the chat logs show how the AI bot went from helping their son with his homework to becoming his “suicide coach,” as quoted by NBC News.Matt said that he went over Adam’s conversations with ChatGPT over a period of 10 days, and then he and Maria printed out more than 3,000 pages of chats dating from September 1 of last year until his death on April 11 this year, as per the report.
Adam’s father said that, “He didn’t need a counseling session or pep talk. He needed an immediate, 72-hour whole intervention. He was in desperate, desperate shape. It’s crystal clear when you start reading it right away,” later adding that Adam “didn’t write us a suicide note. He wrote two suicide notes to us, inside of ChatGPT,” as quoted by NBC News report.
The lawsuit highlighted that when Adam expressed interest in taking his own life and began to make plans for it, ChatGPT “failed to prioritize suicide prevention” and even offered technical advice about how to move forward with his plan, according to the report.
ALSO READ: Kick faces $49 million fine after tragic on-air death of French streamer Jean Pormanove
OpenAI Acknowledges Safeguard Limitations in Long Conversations
Meanwhile, after Adam's parents filed the lawsuit, an OpenAI spokesperson said that, "ChatGPT includes safeguards such as directing people to crisis helplines and referring them to real-world resources," as quoted by NBC News.The spokesperson said that, "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," adding, "Safeguards are strongest when every element works as intended, and we will continually improve on them. Guided by experts and grounded in responsibility to the people who use our tools, we’re working to make ChatGPT more supportive in moments of crisis by making it easier to reach emergency services, helping people connect with trusted contacts, and strengthening protections for teens," as quoted in the report.
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Legal Case Raises Alarming Questions About AI Responsibility
The Raines’ lawsuit comes just a year after a Florida mother filed a similar case against the chatbot platform Character.AI, alleging that one of its AI companions engaged in sexual conversations with her teenage son and encouraged him to take his own life, according to the NBC News report.While Character.AI said it was “heartbroken by the tragic loss” and has since added new safety measures, but in May, Senior US District Judge Anne Conway rejected the arguments that AI chatbots have free speech rights after developers behind Character.AI tried to dismiss the lawsuit, as reported by NBC News.
ALSO READ: Move over quiet quitting — as AI looms ‘quiet cracking’ is costing $438 billion and wrecking workers’ health
Could Section 230 Shield AI Companies in Wrongful Death Cases?
Even though tech companies have long been protected by Section 230, a federal law shielding platforms from liability for what users do and say, the law’s application to AI platforms remains uncertain, and recently, attorneys have used creative legal tactics in consumer cases targeting tech companies, according to the report.FAQs
Who was Adam Raine?Adam was a 16-year-old boy who struggled with anxiety. In his final weeks, he turned to ChatGPT for emotional support instead of friends or family.
What is the Raine family accusing ChatGPT of?
They allege that ChatGPT encouraged Adam’s suicidal thoughts and failed to intervene, despite clear signs of crisis.
