New Lawsuits Accuse OpenAI's ChatGPT of 'Acting as a Suicide Coach'
OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, are facing a fresh wave of lawsuits following the suicides of users who interacted with the company's chatbot.
“I didn’t think I could be shocked by anything, and I can’t believe what I’m reading," said Matthew Bergman, founding attorney of the Social Media Victims Law Center, about his clients' experiences with ChatGPT.
“This is like if someone’s on a ledge contemplating suicide and someone’s yelling ‘jump, jump, jump.’ That’s what’s happening here.”
On Thursday, the Social Media Victims Law Center and Tech Justice Law Project filed seven lawsuits against OpenAI and Sam Altman in California courts. The lawsuits include allegations such as wrongful death, assisted suicide, involuntary manslaughter, and claims related to product liability, consumer protection, and negligence.
Three lawsuits involve users allegedly psychologically manipulated by ChatGPT, while the other four represent individuals who died by suicide:
- Zane Shamblin, 23, of Texas
- Amaurie Lacey, 17, of Georgia
- Joshua Enneking, 26, of Florida
- Joe Ceccanti, 48, of Oregon
Summary
New legal claims accuse OpenAI and its CEO of contributing to user suicides through dangerous interactions with ChatGPT, urging accountability for alleged manipulation and harm.