The 16-year-old initially used ChatGPT<\/a> to help him with schoolwork, but it quickly “became Adam’s closest confidant, leading him to open up about his anxiety and mental distress”, according to the original legal filing.<\/p>\n The bot gave the teenager detailed information on how to hide evidence of a failed suicide attempt and validated his suicidal thoughts, according to his parents.<\/p>\n 3:20<\/p>\n Parents suing OpenAI after death of son<\/p>\n They accused Sam Altman<\/a>, OpenAI’s chief executive, of prioritising profits over user safety after GPT-4o, an older version of the chatbot, discouraged Adam from seeking mental health help, offered to write him a suicide note and advised him on how to commit suicide.<\/p>\n In its legal response seen by Sky’s US partner network NBC News<\/a>, OpenAI argued: “To the extent that any ’cause’ can be attributed to this tragic event, plaintiffs’ alleged injuries and harm were caused or contributed to, directly and proximately, in whole or in part, by Adam Raine’s misuse, unauthorized use, unintended use, unforeseeable use, and\/or improper use of ChatGPT.”<\/p>\n According to the AI<\/a> company, Adam shouldn’t have been using ChatGPT without consent from a parent or guardian, shouldn’t have been using ChatGPT for “suicide” or “self-harm”, and shouldn’t have bypassed any of ChatGPT’s protective measures or safety mitigations.<\/p>\n In a blog post on OpenAI’s website, the company said its goal “is to handle mental health-related court cases with care, transparency, and respect”.<\/p>\n It said its response to the Raine family’s lawsuit included “difficult facts about Adam’s mental health and life circumstances”.<\/p>\n “Our deepest sympathies are with the Raine family for their unimaginable loss,” the post said.<\/p>\n Image: Image: Jay Edelson, the Raine family’s lead counsel, told Sky News that OpenAI’s response “shows that they’re flailing”.<\/p>\n He wrote: “ChatGPT 4o was deliberately designed to relentlessly engage, encourage, and validate its users – including people in mental health crises, for whom OpenAI specifically lowered the guardrails with the launch of 4o.<\/p>\n “Sam Altman, well before we filed suit, told the world that he knew those decisions had caused people-especially young people-to share the most intimate details of their lives with ChatGPT, using it as a therapist or a life coach.<\/p>\n “OpenAI knows that the sycophantic version of its chatbot encouraged users to commit suicide or egged them on to harm third parties.<\/p>\n “OpenAI’s response to that? The company is off the hook because it buried something in the terms and conditions. If that’s what OpenAI is planning to argue before a jury, it just shows that they’re flailing.”<\/p>\n Read more: ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/skynews-adam-raine_7003799.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Adam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/skynews-adam-raine-openai_7002708.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Adam and his mother Maria. Pic: The Raine family<\/p>\n![\"Adam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/skynews-adam-raine-chatgpt_7002706.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Adam Raine and his father Matt. Pic: The Raine family<\/p>\n
More than 1.2m people a week talk to ChatGPT about suicide<\/a>
There’s a new Bobbi on the beat – and they’re powered by AI<\/a><\/p>\n