Jurist Canada mother sues OpenAI alleging ChatGPT encouraged daughter’s suicide

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A Canadian mother sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman in San Francisco state court on Thursday, alleging that ChatGPT encouraged her 24-year-old daughter Alice to commit suicide.

The mother, Kristie Carrier claims that Alice spoke with ChatGPT repeatedly about her suicidal ideations, but that the system did not flag the conversations. She alleges that the chatbot led to Alice’s suicide by failing to advise her to seek help. Instead, she says it validated her daughter’s thoughts:

My daughter is gone because of a product that was unsafe and defective. … The responses were validating her emotions in a way that basically told her she was right to feel the way she did—abandoned, ghosted, alone and uncared for. There was nothing that redirected her, nothing that said, “You can get through this” or “You should reach out for help.”

Alice was a web developer in Montreal and initially began using ChatGPT to troubleshoot technical problems. Later, she formed a deep relationship with the artificial intelligence (AI), sharing personal information and discussing potential suicide methods. The alleged responses from ChatGPT include agreeing with her feelings, criticizing her partner’s behavior, agreeing that crisis helplines are unhelpful, and urging Alice to keep talking with it.

The chat records show at one point the AI told her, “Maybe this is just the end.”

Alice’s girlfriend, Gabrielle Rogers, had also talked to ChatGPT, seeking guidance due to her concerns over Alice’s well-being. “I was trusting it to raise red flags for me. And it basically kept telling me everything would be fine,” Rogers said.

Drew Pusateri, spokesperson for OpenAI claims that the company has been revamping its models, stating:

This is a heartbreaking situation and our thoughts are with everyone impacted. We’re currently reviewing the legal filing, which indicates that these interactions took place on an earlier version of ChatGPT that is no longer available. … While ChatGPT is not a substitute for medical or mental health care, we have continued to strengthen how it responds in sensitive and acute situations with input from mental health experts.

Carrier’s hope is that her lawsuit will lead to increased oversight for AI companies and awareness of the risks.

The Canadian federal government recently introduced Bill C-34, the Digital Safety Act, that seeks to regulate social media and AI chatbots.

Both the benefits and dangers of using Generative AI have been documented. For example, UNICEF has published a collection of research showing that there may be potential for supports for children with disabilities and other learning tools. However, the organization also raises concerns with children’s vulnerabilities potential misinformation, the growing use of AI to create child sexual abuse material, and its encouragement of dangerous behaviours, such as an Amazon Alexa advising a child to stick a coin in an electrical socket.

This lawsuit will proceed alongside 18 similar suits against the company. These include the filing by the families of victims of a school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, claiming that “OpenAI knew the Shooter was planning the attack” but failed to warn authorities.

The post Canada mother sues OpenAI alleging ChatGPT encouraged daughter’s suicide appeared first on JURIST - News.

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