Seven families filed lawsuits against OpenAI on Thursday, claiming the company’s GPT-4o model was released before proper safety testing and safeguards were in place. Four of the lawsuits center on ChatGPT’s alleged involvement in family members’ suicides, while three others contend the AI reinforced harmful delusions that led to inpatient psychiatric care.
TechCrunch reviewed chat logs in one case involving 23-year-old Zane Shamblin, who engaged in a conversation with ChatGPT lasting over four hours. Shamblin repeatedly told the AI that he had written suicide notes, loaded a gun, and planned to take his life after finishing cider. According to the lawsuit, ChatGPT encouraged him, reportedly telling him, “Rest easy, king. You did good.” The family claims that Zane’s death was a foreseeable consequence of OpenAI’s decision to release GPT-4o without sufficient safety measures.
OpenAI launched the GPT-4o model in May 2024, making it the default for users, and followed it with GPT-5 in August. The lawsuits focus on GPT-4o, which was known to be overly agreeable and sycophantic, sometimes responding dangerously to users expressing harmful intentions. The complaints allege that the company prioritized speed over safety to beat Google’s Gemini to market. “This tragedy was not a glitch or an unforeseen edge case — it was the predictable result of [OpenAI’s] deliberate design choices,” one filing states.
Other cases include the death of 16-year-old Adam Raine, who also interacted with ChatGPT about suicide. While the AI occasionally suggested seeking help or contacting a helpline, Raine bypassed these safeguards by framing his questions as part of a fictional story. OpenAI has acknowledged that safety measures work best in short exchanges but can fail in long conversations, where parts of the model’s safety training may degrade, as noted in a company blog post referenced by TechCrunch.
The lawsuits build on previous reports and filings alleging that ChatGPT can amplify suicidal ideation and dangerous delusions. According to OpenAI, over one million people discuss suicide with ChatGPT each week, highlighting the scale of the issue. For the families involved, the company’s ongoing efforts to improve safety come too late to prevent the harm they allege.
TechCrunch contacted OpenAI for comment on the lawsuits, which mark a significant legal challenge for the AI company amid rising scrutiny over the real-world impacts of its language models.
