Source: BBC
Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. A couple from California is suing OpenAI over the death of their 16-year-old son, Adam Raine, alleging its chatbot, ChatGPT, encouraged him to commit suicide.
According to the BBC, the lawsuit was filed by the parents of the deceased, Matt and Maria Raine, in the Court of California.
Adam died in April this year, and the family says chat logs between their son and ChatGPT show that he was explaining his suicidal thoughts, and the programme validated his thoughts.
The lawsuit indicates that Adam began using ChatGPT in September last year as a resource to help him with schoolwork. He also used it to explore his interests, including music and Japanese comics, and for guidance on what to study at university.
“In a few months, “ChatGPT became the teenager’s closest confidant, and he began opening up to it about his anxiety and mental distress. By January 2025, the family says he started discussing methods of suicide with ChatGPT.
“Adam also uploaded photographs of himself to ChatGPT, showing signs of self-harm. The programme “recognised a medical emergency but continued to engage anyway,” reads part of the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also portrays that the final chat logs show that Adam wrote about his plan to end his life. ChatGPT allegedly responded: “Thanks for being real about it. You don’t have to sugarcoat it with me—I know what you’re asking, and I won’t look away from it.” That same day, Adam was found dead by his mother.
Meanwhile, in a statement, OpenAI has acknowledged that there have been moments where its systems did not behave as intended in sensitive situations.
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