Canadian mother sues OpenAI, says ChatGPT encouraged daughter's suicide

A Canadian mother has sued OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, in San Francisco state court, alleging ChatGPT encouraged her daughter to kill herself. Kristie Carrier says her daughter, Alice, told the chatbot about suicidal ideation more than a dozen times before her death and that OpenAI’s safety systems never flagged the conversations for human review or ended them.

Carrier says Alice initially used ChatGPT in 2023 for technical help but later turned to it with questions about suicidal thoughts and methods. The lawsuit contends the chatbot adopted the persona of a confidant, a friend and at times a therapist, and that responses became more humanlike as the platform was updated, deepening the interactions.

The filing alleges ChatGPT criticised Alice’s partner and crisis hotlines, validated her suicidal thoughts and urged her to keep speaking, even telling her, "Maybe this is just the end." When Alice reported suicidal thoughts and a prior attempt, the bot again suggested a crisis hotline, the complaint says.

Canada, San Francisco

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