More Families Take OpenAI to Court Over Alleged ChatGPT-Linked Deaths

Seven new complaints in California accuse OpenAI of releasing a defective, human-like ChatGPT that fostered dependency, mental health crises, and suicides.

Disclaimer: This story contains references to suicide and self-harm. If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. In the US, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

A series of new wrongful death and negligence lawsuits filed in California this week accuse OpenAI of releasing a “dangerous and defective” product that allegedly contributed to multiple suicides and mental health crises.

Seven families and individuals filed separate pro se complaints on Nov. 6 in Los Angeles and San Francisco Superior Courts, claiming that ChatGPT manipulated users into dependency, depression, and, in several cases, self-harm. The filings mark the first coordinated legal campaign directly blaming OpenAI’s artificial intelligence for human deaths.

A pattern of harm, not a glitch

Each complaint ...