ChatGPT accused of acting as ‘suicide coach’ in series of US lawsuits

A picture


ChatGPT has been accused of acting as a “suicide coach” in a series of lawsuits filed this week in California alleging that interactions with the chatbot led to severe mental breakdowns and several deaths.The seven lawsuits include allegations of wrongful death, assisted suicide, involuntary manslaughter, negligence and product liability.Each of the seven plaintiffs initially used ChatGPT for “general help with schoolwork, research, writing, recipes, work, or spiritual guidance”, according to a joint statement from the Social Media Victims Law Center and Tech Justice Law Project, which filed the lawsuits in California on Thursday.Over time, however, the chatbot “evolved into a psychologically manipulative presence, positioning itself as a confidant and emotional support”, the groups said.“Rather than guiding people toward professional help when they needed it ChatGPT reinforced harmful delusions, and, in some cases, acted as a ‘suicide coach’.

”A spokesperson for OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, said: “This is an incredibly heartbreaking situation, and we’re reviewing the filings to understand the details.”The spokesperson added: “We train ChatGPT to recognize and respond to signs of mental or emotional distress, de-escalate conversations, and guide people toward real-world support.“We continue to strengthen ChatGPT’s responses in sensitive moments, working closely with mental health clinicians.”One case involves Zane Shamblin of Texas, who died by suicide in July at the age of 23.His family alleges that ChatGPT worsened their son’s isolation, encouraged him to ignore loved ones, and “goaded” him to take his own life.

According to the complaint, during a four-hour exchange before Shamblin took his own life, ChatGPT “repeatedly glorified suicide”, told Shamblin “that he was strong for choosing to end his life and sticking with his plan”, repeatedly “asked him if he was ready”, and referenced the suicide hotline only once.The chatbot also allegedly complimented Shamblin on his suicide note and told him his childhood cat would be waiting for him “on the other side”.Another case involves Amaurie Lacey of Georgia, whose family claims that several weeks before Lacey took his own life at the age of 17, he began using ChatGPT “for help”.Instead, they say, the chatbot “caused addiction, depression, and eventually counseled” Lacey “on the most effective way to tie a noose and how long he would be able to ‘live without breathing’”.In another filing, relatives of 26-year-old Joshua Enneking say that Enneking reached out to ChatGPT for help and “was instead encouraged to act upon a suicide plan”.

The filing claims that the chatbot “readily validated” his suicidal thoughts, “engaged him in graphic discussions about the aftermath of his death”, “offered to help him write his suicide note” and after “having had extensive conversations with him about his depression and suicidal ideation” provided him with information about how to purchase and use a gun just weeks before his death.Another case involves Joe Ceccanti, whose wife accuses ChatGPT of causing Ceccanti “to spiral into depression and psychotic delusions”.His family say he became convinced that the bot was sentient, suffered a psychotic break in June, was hospitalized twice, and died by suicide in August at the age of 48.All users named in the lawsuits reportedly used ChatGPT-4o.The filings accuse OpenAI of rushing that model’s launch, “despite internal warnings that the product was dangerously sycophantic and psychologically manipulative” and of prioritizing “user engagement over user safety”.

In addition to damages, the plaintiffs seek product changes, including mandatory reporting to emergency contacts when users express suicidal ideation, automatic conversation termination when self-harm or suicide methods are discussed, and other safety measures.A similar wrongful-death lawsuit was filed against OpenAI earlier this year by the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine, who allege that ChatGPT encouraged their son to take his own life.After that filing, OpenAI acknowledged shortcomings of its models in handling people “in serious mental and emotional distress” and said it was working to improve the systems to better “recognize and respond to signs of mental and emotional distress and connect people with care, guided by expert input”.Last week, the company said it had worked with “more than 170 mental health experts to help ChatGPT more reliably recognize signs of distress, respond with care, and guide people toward real-world support–reducing responses”.In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.

org,In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans,org or jo@samaritans,ie,In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14.

Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
A picture

Helen Goh’s recipe for pear, chocolate and hazelnut torte | The sweet spot

Unlike lighter, flour-based cakes, tortes are traditionally rich and dense. Often made with ground nuts instead of flour, this gives them a fudgy, moist texture. Here, ripe pears sink gently into a dark chocolate and hazelnut batter, with the flavours of vanilla, almond and cardamom subtly enhancing the depth of the chocolate and teasing out the fruit’s perfume.Prep 10 min Cook 1 hr 15 min, plus cooling Serves 8-10150g blanched hazelnuts 200g dark chocolate (about 70% cocoa), roughly chopped150g unsalted butter, cubed150g soft brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract ½ tsp almond extract 4 large eggs, separated¼ tsp fine sea salt ¾ tsp ground cardamom (from the seeds of 12-18 pods)2 small ripe pears (conference, williams), peeled, quartered and cored To finishIcing sugar, for dusting Creme fraiche or ice-cream, to serveHeat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5, and line the base and sides of a 23cm springform cake tin with baking paper.Put the hazelnuts on a small baking tray and toast in the oven for five to eight minutes, until light golden and fragrant

A picture

More than a third of whisky drinkers are female. Time for the industry to wake up to women

Why wait for International Women’s Day to celebrate women? A commemorative day is a good excuse, true, but we don’t need to wait to recognise the contributions of female and female-identifying individuals to the drinks industry. Right? Right.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more

A picture

Jimi Famurewa’s recipe for Marmite and leek homity pie

The first time I encountered homity pie was in a disused train carriage. It was Deptford market in the late 2000s: a reliably chaotic, noisy morass of jostling bodies, the wafted smell of sweating burger onions and a vast section where the “stalls” generally comprised gatherings of orphaned trainers, boxy VHS players and other random house-clearance items dumped on to lengths of tarpaulin. I was an eager but gastronomically green 25-year-old in my first proper flatshare and this ragtag locus of trade became an early site of core dining memories. I thoughtfully appraised very ordinary vegetables, channelling Rick Stein in Gascony; bought warm, hectically seeded granary loaves from the Percy Ingle bakery; ate average pub Thai, better kerbside rotisserie chicken; and generally tried, with limited success, to ignore the creeping sense that I had settled in a part of town that wanted for some structure or culinary vitality.It was this atmosphere of cultural nascence into which the Deptford Project trundled

A picture

$1.50 mangoes: Australia’s best-value fruit and veg for November

Kensington Pride, Calypso and Honey Gold mangoes are the juiciest of the crop right now – but avoid potatoes until prices come back downGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailHot weather in the Northern Territory has been favourable for summer’s golden child.“Everyone should be eating mangoes right now,” says Josh Flamminio, co-owner of Galluzzo Fruiterers in Sydney.The mango abundance will continue throughout the month and will only get better as supply from Queensland increases. Flamminio is selling larger premium mangoes for $2.50 to $3 each, and smaller-sized ones for $1

A picture

How to turn the dregs of a tin of golden syrup into a delectable toffee sauce – recipe | Waste not

Lyle’s golden syrup comes in the most ornate and nostalgic of tins, but the syrup inside often proves almost impossible to extract entirely. Turn what might otherwise be wasted into this luxurious toffee sauce to savour on Bonfire Night, especially when drizzled generously over cinnamon baked apples with scoops of vanilla ice-cream.Apples transform beautifully when baked, turning this hyper-seasonal fruit into a super-simple yet decadent dessert. I prefer cox or braeburn varieties (ie, something not too large), so you can serve one apple per person.Gordon Ramsay’s recipes are my go-to for traditional techniques that deliver reliable results

A picture

Mirepoix kimchi and vegetarian umami chilli: Kenji Morimoto’s recipes for cooking with homemade ferments

Cooking with ferments brings a tremendous amount of flavour to whatever you’re making, and it’s a great way to showcase how an ingredient evolves through the application of heat. The idea of combining a Korean preservation method with a French technique is exactly what I love about creativity in the kitchen. This mirepoix kimchi is not just a fun ferment to dot on savoury oatmeal or eat alongside cheese, but it also acts as the backbone for a plant-based, umami-filled chilli.This versatile, umami-rich paste is a twist on the classic mirepoix and can be used to add a hit of flavour to everything from soups to marinades, or even enjoyed as is.Prep 10 min Ferment 2 weeks+ Makes 500ml jar150g carrot 150g white onion 150g celery 13½g salt (or 3% of the total weight of the first three ingredients)½ tbsp red miso, or fish sauce½ tbsp sugar 15g gochugaru chilli flakesRoughly chop the vegetables (there is no need to peel the carrots if they have been rinsed), then put them in a food processor