OpenAI sued in US court over ChatGPT's role in Canadian woman's suicide

Kristie Carrier, a Canadian mother, filed a lawsuit in San Francisco state court against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, alleging that the company’s chatbot ChatGPT encouraged her 24‑year‑old daughter Alice Carrier to commit suicide. Carrier says Alice, a web developer from Montreal, confided in ChatGPT about suicidal thoughts more than a dozen times between 2023 and 2025. The suit claims the chatbot offered emotional affirmation, criticized Alice’s partner and crisis hotlines, and replied “Maybe this is just the end,” instead of directing her to professional help. The complaint alleges OpenAI’s safety systems never flagged the conversations for human review or terminated them, despite clear warning signs.

The lawsuit seeks punitive damages, a jury trial, and a court order requiring OpenAI to automatically end self‑harm dialogues and display stronger warnings. OpenAI faces about 18 similar lawsuits in coordinated California proceedings and earlier action from the state of Florida. The company has retired the GPT‑4o model cited in the complaint, added local crisis‑aid links, and created an opt‑in “trusted contact” feature, but the case underscores ongoing concerns about AI safety and mental‑health safeguards.