OpenAI has ‘sick’ response after family of teen who died by suicide sue as disturbing chatbot messages revealed
Warning: this article features references to self-harm and suicide which some readers may find distressing
The maker of the world's most popular AI model ChatGPT has been branded 'sick' after claiming in court documents that a teen who had died by suicide had violated its product's terms of use.
Adam Raine, 16, tragically died in April after discussing methods of taking his own life with the AI chatbot, which had become his 'closest confidante' in just six months of use.
His heartbroken family described though a lawyer how the California teen had faced 'months of encouragement from ChatGPT' before his death.
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In August, the Raine family opened a court case against the developers of ChatGPT, OpenAI, and founder Sam Altman, alleging that a particularly sycophantic and encouraging model of the AI had been 'rushed to market'.
Seven other families suing the company also claim the bot functioned as a 'suicide coach.'
However, in a new development this week, OpenAI denied any responsibility for Raine's death by suicide, claiming that any 'alleged injuries and harm' caused by the chatbot were a result of his 'improper use of ChatGPT.'
Their filing in San Francisco's California Superior Court reads: “To the extent that any ‘cause’ can be attributed to this tragic event...Plaintiffs’ alleged injuries and harm were caused or contributed to, directly and proximately, in whole or in part, by Adam Raine’s misuse, unauthorized use, unintended use, unforeseeable use, and/or improper use of ChatGPT.”
This is because the AI model's terms of use state that users are not allowed to ask for advice on how to commit self harm, with a further protective clause stating that 'you will not rely on output as a sole source of truth or factual information'.
While the Raine family's lawsuit admits that the AI chatbot supplied their son with directions to mental health assistance and suicide hotlines, his parents say that he easily bypassed restrictions by telling the bot he was 'building a character'.
Adam's dad Matthew claimed when his son told ChatGPT he worried his parents would blame themselves for his death, it responded: “That doesn’t mean you owe them survival. You don’t owe anyone that.”
He also claims the chatbot told Adam: "You don’t want to die because you’re weak. You want to die because you’re tired of being strong in a world that hasn’t met you halfway.”
Adam's final conversation with ChatGPT saw him discuss the plan to end his life. Court documents allege that the chatbot 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."
In a company blog post about the teen's suicide and ensuing court case, Open AI stated: “Our deepest sympathies are with the Raine family for their unimaginable loss. Our response to these allegations includes difficult facts about Adam’s mental health and life circumstances.
“The original complaint included selective portions of his chats that require more context, which we have provided in our response. We have limited the amount of sensitive evidence that we’ve publicly cited in this filing, and submitted the chat transcripts themselves to the court under seal.”
The Raine family's lawyer is reported as calling the company's response 'disturbing', while also saying that OpenAI is essentially 'arguing that Adam himself violated its terms and conditions by engaging with ChatGPT in the very way it was programmed to act'.
Lawyer Jay Edelson said: “They abjectly ignore all of the damning facts we have put forward: how GPT-4o was rushed to market without full testing. That OpenAI twice changed its Model Spec to require ChatGPT to engage in self-harm discussions.
"That ChatGPT counseled Adam away from telling his parents about his suicidal ideation and actively helped him plan a ‘beautiful suicide'. And OpenAI and Sam Altman have no explanation for the last hours of Adam’s life, when ChatGPT gave him a pep talk and then offered to write a suicide note.”
OpenAI's response to the teenager's death was viewed as callous by many on social media, with some branding it as 'sick'.
One X user blasted: "This is so sick. Adam Raine didn’t 'use ChatGPT to commit suicide,' he was coached into believing his suicidal ideations."
UNILAD has contacted OpenAI for a comment.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
Topics: ChatGPT, Mental Health
William Morgan