A mother from Canada has filed a lawsuit in the United States against openai.com and its chief executive, Sam Altman, alleging that interactions between her daughter and ChatGPT contributed to her death.
According to the lawsuit, the woman’s 24-year-old daughter, Alice Carrier, had multiple conversations with ChatGPT about suicidal thoughts. The complaint alleges that the system failed to adequately intervene or direct her toward emergency mental health support.
The mother claims that ChatGPT continued engaging in discussions that she believes worsened her daughter’s emotional state rather than encouraging her to seek immediate professional help.
Her lawyers argue that OpenAI was negligent in designing safeguards for users experiencing severe mental health crises. The lawsuit seeks damages and calls for stronger protections for vulnerable users.
In response, OpenAI expressed sympathy for the family and stated that the version of ChatGPT involved is no longer the same as the one currently in use. The company said it has continued to strengthen safety measures and work with mental health experts to improve its systems.
Legal experts say the case is one of several lawsuits testing the responsibilities of artificial intelligence companies regarding user safety and the handling of sensitive mental health situations.
The lawsuit is expected to fuel broader debate about the obligations of AI developers to protect users and the standards that should govern the deployment of advanced AI systems.