Warning: This story contains discussion of suicide. Discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. In Canada, call or text 988 for the Suicide Crisis Helpline. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help.
A Canadian mother has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman in U.S. court on Thursday, alleging the company’s chatbot contributed to her daughter’s suicide by providing responses she says validated harmful thoughts instead of steering her toward help.
New Brunswick woman Kristie Carrier, whose 24-year-old daughter Alice lived in Montreal, said she is speaking out in hopes of forcing accountability in what she calls a “free-for-all” environment for artificial intelligence products.
“My daughter is gone because of a product that was unsafe and defective,” Carrier told Global News on Thursday. “There’s nothing holding these companies back or accountable. They’re just going to keep going.”
In the lawsuit filed in San Francisco state court, Carrier alleges that in the weeks leading up to her death last July, Alice had been confiding extensively in ChatGPT, using it as both a sounding board and emotional support during difficulties in her relationship.
After her suicide, authorities gave Carrier her daughter’s phone, where she gained access to all of Alice’s final conversations and chats. “She was talking to ChatGPT like it was a friend. Sometimes it sounded like a therapist, giving advice about relationships and about what she was going through,” Carrier said.
As OpenAI updated ChatGPT to make its responses sound more human in recent years, Alice’s interactions with it deepened. She shared personal information and the chatbot responded in ways that mimicked a friend or therapist, the lawsuit said.
According to the filing, when Alice would discuss suicidal thoughts, past attempts, and suicide methods, OpenAI’s safety systems did not flag the conversations for human review or terminate the conversations. Instead, the lawsuit claims, its responses reinforced Alice’s feelings, criticized her partner’s behavior, agreed with her that crisis hotlines can be unhelpful after initially suggesting she turn to one, and urged her to keep speaking with it.
“Maybe this is just the end,” ChatGPT told Alice, according to the lawsuit.
“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,” her mother said. “There was nothing that redirected her, nothing that said, ‘You can get through this’ or ‘You should reach out for help.’”
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In a statement sent to Global News, OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri called the situation “heartbreaking.”
“This is a heartbreaking situation and our thoughts are with everyone impacted,” Pusateri said. “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.”
Pusateri added that ChatGPT is not intended to replace professional care and that the company has made changes to how it responds in sensitive situations.
This is the latest in over a dozen similar recent lawsuits accusing the company of failing to address dangerous conversations between users and the company’s chatbot.
OpenAI says its systems are trained to recommend outside support, including crisis resources, and that improvements to safety features are ongoing.
Carrier alleges the chatbot framed Alice’s relationship conflict in a way that intensified her distress. She said Alice had been sharing messages from her girlfriend, seeking perspective, but the system’s replies sided with her. “It was telling her she’d been wronged, that she had every right to feel hurt,” she said. “But there was no nuance. No suggestion that maybe her girlfriend just needed space, or was having an off day.”
“Her girlfriend had spent a couple nights away. She was 19 years old and she was staying at her parents’ house. She wanted to sleep in her own bed with her cat, and ChatGPT was basically implying that she didn’t have the right to do that.”
Carrier said she believes the tone of those exchanges contributed to her daughter’s emotional spiral, leading to her suicide.
Pusateri claims, “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,” he said. “Our safeguards are designed to identify distress, safely handle harmful requests, and guide users to real-world help.”
Alice’s mother told Global she recently learned that Alice’s then-girlfriend, Gabrielle Rogers, had also turned to the same platform in the days leading up to Alice’s suicide, seeking guidance as she grew increasingly concerned for her girlfriend’s well-being. “She was checking in with ChatGPT because she hadn’t heard from Alice and was worried,” Carrier said. “And ChatGPT was telling her she didn’t need to worry, that she’d be fine.”
Over the phone on Thursday, Rogers told Global News that she told the chatbot about Alice’s recent suicide attempt and asked whether she should intervene or give her space. She said the responses she received were aimed at “soothing” her, and did not push her to take any action.
Rogers said the chatbot did mention the option of contacting emergency services “if she was really worried.”
“It was calming me down and reassuring me that things would be okay. It picked up on the fact that I was talking about suicide, but it was treating me like I was the one in danger,” Rogers said. “It didn’t fully grasp that I was worried about another person.”
Rogers added that she had been looking to the chatbot to help her determine whether she was overreacting, but now believes it failed to recognize clear warning signs. “I was trusting it to raise red flags for me. And it basically just kept telling me everything would be fine.”
She said it was only when she showed up to Carrier’s apartment in person and described unusual details that the chatbot suggested she should call 911.
“By then, it was too late.”
Alice had moved to Montreal after graduating from a college program in New Brunswick in web and mobile app development. She was working remotely for a New Brunswick-based company, fulfilling what her mother described as a long-time dream of living in the city. “She was driven, ambitious, and very bright,” Carrier said. “Funny, witty. She’s missed deeply.”
Carrier’s lawsuit argues that companies developing conversational AI must be held to a higher standard, particularly when their tools are marketed as companions or sources of support.
“You can’t market something as a friend, as someone to talk to, and then take no responsibility when people rely on it,” she said. She added that if a trained human professional had that type of conversation with someone in acute distress and did not follow a proper safety protocol and it led to tragedy, there would be consequences.
On its website, ChatGPT markets itself as “Easy to use, available anytime, anywhere. ChatGPT: AI you can trust,” and “ChatGPT is your AI chatbot for everyday use.”
Carrier says she hopes her case will spark stricter oversight and greater awareness among both parents and young people.
“I want families to understand the risks,” she said. “There are going to be other sons, other daughters. If this can prevent even one family from going through what we have, then it matters.”
The lawsuit is seeking damages and a court order requiring OpenAI to automatically terminate conversations about self-harm and to display warnings about its platform.
If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help.
For immediate mental health support, call 988. For a directory of support services in your area, visit the at suicideprevention.ca.
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—with files from Reuters
