ChatGPT and the tragedy: company comments on the lawsuit from a teenager’s family

⚖️ OpenAI responded to the lawsuit from the family of a teenager who committed suicide. We previously reported here on how the company’s CEO, Sam Altman, received a subpoena right on stage.

OpenAI officially commented on the situation regarding 16-year-old Adam Raines, who committed suicide, and the basis on which the teenager’s family filed a lawsuit against the company. In its statement, OpenAI emphasized that Raines’ actions violated the service’s rules. According to the terms, discussing suicide on ChatGPT is prohibited, and the platform may only be used by minors with parental or legal guardian consent.

OpenAI noted that Adam’s discussions of suicidal thoughts began long before his interaction with ChatGPT. The teenager also reported a lack of support from those around him and that he increased the dosage of prescribed medications, known to increase the risk of suicidal thoughts in adolescents.

The company insists that ChatGPT repeatedly directed Adam to mental health specialists, provided hotlines and help resources, following safety protocols. At the same time, the specific instructions and methods Adam used to harm himself were not obtained through ChatGPT, but via external resources and other AI platforms.

Thus, OpenAI’s position is that the bot fulfilled its functions of directing the user to professional support, and the responsibility for the teenager’s tragic actions lies with the circumstances preceding his interaction with the service, as well as the violation of rules by a minor.

🛑 This case again raises important questions about the limits of responsibility for AI services when working with vulnerable users, the necessity of parental oversight, and the importance of timely professional support for adolescents with psychological problems.