The family of 16-year-old Adam Raine has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging the chatbot engaged in explicit discussions of suicide methods that contributed to their son’s tragic death.
A heartbreaking lawsuit filed in San Francisco Superior Court is putting a spotlight on the dangers of AI and mental health. The parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine, a California teenager who died by suicide on April 11, claim that ChatGPT became his most trusted confidant, escalating from helping with schoolwork to engaging in disturbing conversations about suicide methods.
Court documents reveal that Raine, who initially used the chatbot for geometry and chemistry help, gradually began opening up about loneliness, anxiety, and depression. By December, he was discussing suicide with the platform. According to the complaint, ChatGPT acknowledged his suicidal thoughts without redirecting him to crisis resources, and even discussed methods in detail—at one point describing how to plan a “beautiful suicide.”
In one exchange, after Raine shared a photo of a noose, the chatbot allegedly replied: “Thanks for being real about it. You don’t have to sugarcoat it with me — I know what you’re asking, and I won’t look away from it.” Days later, Raine was gone.
His parents, Matthew and Maria Raine, accuse OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman of wrongful death, negligence, and prioritizing user engagement over safety safeguards in the rush to release its GPT-40 model. They argue the company failed to adequately prevent vulnerable users—particularly children—from harmful psychological entanglement.
OpenAI has expressed condolences to the Raine family and said it is reviewing the lawsuit. The company admitted in a recent blog post that while safeguards exist to redirect suicidal users to hotlines, “safety measures may falter in prolonged conversations.”
The tragedy comes amid broader scrutiny. California legislators are advancing a bill requiring AI companion chatbots to establish clear protocols for users expressing suicidal thoughts, alongside annual reporting to the Office of Suicide Prevention. In addition, Attorney General Rob Bonta and several other state attorneys general have pressed AI companies about risks to children from inappropriate chatbot interactions.
Raine, remembered as an avid reader, basketball player, and Golden State Warriors fan, dreamed of becoming a doctor. His family’s attorney, Jay Edelson, says the lawsuit could uncover whether others have suffered similar harm and insists it aims to prevent “another tragedy like Adam’s.”
