OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks throughout the Federal Reserve’s Integrated Review of the Capital Framework for Large Banks Conference in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 22, 2025.
Ken Cedeno | Reuters
OpenAI is detailing its plans to handle ChatGPT’s shortcomings when dealing with “sensitive situations”
following a lawsuit from a household who blamed the chatbot for his or her teenage son’s loss of life by suicide.
“We will keep improving, guided by experts and grounded in responsibility to the people who use our tools — and we hope others will join us in helping make sure this technology protects people at their most vulnerable,” OpenAI wrote on Tuesday, in a blog post titled, “Helping people when they need it most.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the mother and father of Adam Raine filed a product legal responsibility and wrongful loss of life go well with towards OpenAI after their son died by suicide at age 16, NBC News reported. In the lawsuit, the household mentioned that “ChatGPT actively helped Adam explore suicide methods.”
The firm didn’t point out the Raine household or lawsuit in its weblog publish.
OpenAI mentioned that though ChatGPT is skilled to direct folks to hunt assist when expressing suicidal intent, the chatbot tends to supply solutions that go towards the corporate’s safeguards after many messages over an prolonged time frame.
The firm mentioned it is also engaged on an replace to its GPT-5 mannequin launched earlier this month that can trigger the chatbot to deescalate conversations, and that it is exploring methods to “connect people to certified therapists before they are in an acute crisis,” together with presumably constructing a community of licensed professionals that customers might attain immediately via ChatGPT.
Additionally, OpenAI mentioned it is trying into methods to join customers with “those closest to them,” like family and friends members.
When it involves teenagers, OpenAI mentioned it’ll quickly introduce controls that can give mother and father choices to realize extra perception into how their youngsters use ChatGPT.
Jay Edelson, lead counsel for the Raine household, informed CNBC on Tuesday that no one from OpenAI has reached out to the household immediately to supply condolences or focus on any effort to enhance the security of the corporate’s merchandise.
“If you’re going to use the most powerful consumer tech on the planet — you have to trust that the founders have a moral compass,” Edelson mentioned. “That’s the question for OpenAI right now, how can anyone trust them?”
Raine’s story is not remoted.
Writer Laura Reiley earlier this month revealed an essay in The New York Times detailing how her 29-year-old daughter died by suicide after discussing the thought extensively with ChatGPT. And in a case in Florida, 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III died by suicide final 12 months after discussing it with an AI chatbot on the app Character.AI.
As AI companies develop in recognition, a number of issues are arising round their use for remedy, companionship and different emotional wants.
But regulating the trade might also show difficult.
On Monday, a coalition of AI firms, enterprise capitalists and executives, together with OpenAI President and co-founder Greg Brockman announced Leading the Future, a political operation that “will oppose policies that stifle innovation” on the subject of AI.
If you’re having suicidal ideas or are in misery, contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for help and help from a skilled counselor.
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