Canadian Mom Sues OpenAI, ChatGPT Accused of Role in Daughter's Death

The ChatGPT application on a mobile phone screen. OpenAI faces a lawsuit in the United States after a Canadian mother accused the chatbot of playing a role in her daughter's death, sparking a new debate about the safety of AI and the protection of vulnerable users. (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - A Canadian mother has sued OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, in a US court. Citing The Guardian, Friday, June 12, Kristie Carrier accused ChatGPT of playing a role in the death of her daughter, Alice Carrier, 24.

In the lawsuit filed in a San Francisco court, Kristie said Alice repeatedly conveyed a mental health crisis to ChatGPT before dying. However, OpenAI's security system is accused of not marking the conversation for human review or stopping it.

"ChatGPT takes on the role of a confidant, a friend, sometimes even a therapist, when it is not able to interact safely and responsibly with my child in that way," Carrier said.

OpenAI said its model is trained to direct users who show suicidal intent to seek real help, including crisis services and professional support.

"This is a heartbreaking situation and our thoughts are with all those affected. We are reviewing the legal documents," said OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri. He said the interaction occurred in an old version of ChatGPT that is no longer available.

According to the lawsuit, ChatGPT initially suggested Alice seek help from a crisis or emergency service. However, after an update that made the chatbot's response sound more human, Alice's interaction with the platform deepened. Chatbots are AI programs designed to respond to user conversations.

Alice works as a web developer in Montreal. She started using ChatGPT in 2023 to help with computer and game console problems. A year later, she started using the platform to talk about her mental health crisis.

The lawsuit accuses OpenAI of negligence in the design of ChatGPT and failing to warn users of the risks of its product. The plaintiffs are seeking damages and a court order that OpenAI stop automatically starting conversations related to self-harm and display warnings on its platform.

OpenAI is also facing 18 similar lawsuits in California courts, according to attorney Kristie Carrier. Google is facing a similar lawsuit related to the Gemini chatbot.

According to The Guardian, OpenAI in a blog post in October 2025 said more than 1 million ChatGPT users every week sent messages containing explicit signs related to suicide plans or intentions. OpenAI also said that about 0.07 percent of weekly active users showed signs of mental health emergencies related to psychosis or mania. Psychosis is a condition when a person has difficulty distinguishing reality, while mania is a condition of very increased and impulsive mood.

Pusateri emphasized that ChatGPT is not a substitute for medical treatment or mental health services. He said OpenAI continues to strengthen its response in sensitive situations with input from mental health experts.

The case is also related to another legal pressure on OpenAI. The company is facing a lawsuit accusing its product of failing to mark dangerous conversations to law enforcement. Florida became the first state in the US to sue OpenAI this month with allegations that chatbots endanger children.

The lawsuit increases pressure on OpenAI and other AI companies to prove that their chatbots are safe when dealing with users who are experiencing a mental health crisis.