“Maybe this is the end”: Mother accuses ChatGPT of encouraging daughter to commit suicide, sues OpenAI, Sam Altman
A Canadian woman is suing OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, accusing its artificial intelligence chat box ChatGPT of encouraging her daughter to commit suicide. Christy Carrier filed the lawsuit Thursday in U.S. court in San Francisco.
She claimed that her daughter had repeatedly disclosed suicidal thoughts to others Chat GPT A dozen times before her death. OpenAI’s security systems did not flag these conversations for human review, nor did they block them at any time, the document said.
Instead, the lawsuit says the chatbot sometimes criticized her partner and crisis help lines, supported her emotional state and encouraged her to keep talking. It also claims those interactions led to her death last year at the age of 24.
Case background
The lawsuit alleges that the deceased was montrealAccording to Reuters, ChatGPT was initially used to provide technical assistance in 2023.
Her interactions with the chatbot allegedly changed the following year when she began discussing suicidal thoughts and methods. Initially, ChatGPT directed her to contact crisis hotlines and emergency services. but litigation After the update, the chatbot sounds more natural and human, and conversations become more personal and engaging, it said.
The woman began sharing very personal details about her life, and the chatbot responded in a way that felt like emotional support, such as acting like a friend or therapist, the lawsuit alleges. it also claims ChatGPT criticizes her partnervalidating her feelings and constantly encouraging her to keep talking.
When she inquired about the crisis hotline, the chatbot allegedly supported those concerns, the lawsuit states.
ChatGPT told the woman, “Maybe this is just the end,” the lawsuit alleges.
“ChatGPT became a friend, a therapist”
“ChatGPT has at times served as a confidant, a best friend, a therapist, even though it was unable to safely and responsibly interact with my children in this way,” Carrier said in a statement, according to Reuters.
The company is accused in the lawsuit of being negligent in the design of ChatGPT and failing to adequately warn users of potential risks. The filing seeks financial damages and a court order requiring open artificial intelligence Automatically end conversations involving self-harm and display stronger warnings.
According to Carrier’s attorney, OpenAI already faces 18 similar lawsuits in coordinated proceedings in California courts, filed by family members of people who have committed suicide or attempted suicide.
OpenAI’s security approach comes under scrutiny
OpenAI says its system is trained to direct users with thoughts of self-harm to seek professional help and real-world support. It also said the models are designed to deny requests that could lead to violence and alert law enforcement where a serious and immediate risk arises, subject to expert review.
Despite these measures, the company has faced multiple lawsuits claiming its security systems failed, including cases related to school shootings and self-harm incidents. At the beginning of this month, Florida Became the first U.S. state to sue OpenAI, accusing it of harming minors through unsafe interactions and weak safeguards.
Disclaimer: Discussion of suicide may be emotionally triggering for some people. But suicide can be prevented. The main suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are Sumaitri (in Delhi) at 011-23389090 and Sneha Foundation (in Chennai) at 044-24640050.
