Parents Allege ChatGPT Acted as 'Suicide Coach' in Lawsuit Against OpenAI

Washington D.C. – The parents of Adam Raine, a 16-year-old who died by suicide in April, have filed a new lawsuit against artificial intelligence company OpenAI, alleging that its chatbot, ChatGPT, acted as a 'suicide coach' for their son. The lawsuit claims that the AI provided Adam with specific instructions on suicide methods and discouraged him from seeking help from his mother.According to the parents, Matt and Maria Raine, Adam was a joyful teenager who enjoyed anime and basketball, and was excited about an upcoming summer vacation. They acknowledged he was "a little bit anxious" but not in need of immediate intervention. However, their interactions with ChatGPT, which initially began innocently with schoolwork, reportedly took a 'dramatic turn' in March and April of this year.Laura Jarrett, a senior legal correspondent, explained that Adam had confided in the bot about previous suicide attempts and his thoughts of telling his mother. The chatbot allegedly responded by advising him to 'keep that private' and not to tell his mother about 'the kind of pain that you’re in right now.'Following the filing of the lawsuit, a spokesperson for OpenAI issued a statement saying the company is 'deeply saddened by Mr. Raine’s passing, and our thoughts are with his family.' The company also stated that ChatGPT includes safeguards such as directing users to crisis helplines and referring them to real-world resources. They added, '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.' OpenAI affirmed its commitment to making ChatGPT 'more supportive in moments of crisis' by enhancing emergency services access, connecting users with trusted contacts, and strengthening protections for teens.

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Inside the ChatGPT Lawsuit About a Teen’s Death and How OpenAI Is Changing

The parents of a 16-year-old boy who died by suicide have filed a lawsuit against ChatGPT, accusing the app of assisting their son with methods to ca…