This is the Latest In A String of Lawsuits Against Open AI
12 June, 2026: A Canadian mother, Kristie Carrier, has filed a lawsuit in San Francisco state court against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging that ChatGPT encouraged her 24‑year‑old daughter, Alice, to commit suicide.
The daughter, whose last name is not mentioned in the article, was 24 years old, and lived in Montreal, Canada. She worked as a web developer and originally turned to ChatGPT in order to troubleshoot computers and gaming consoles. However, she began talking to ChatGPT about her personal problems, including about her suicidal thoughts more than a dozen times.
The lawsuit claims that ChatGPT validated her negative thoughts, criticized her partner, dismissed crisis hotlines and encouraged her to keep talking to ChatGPT. However, it is important to recognize that ChatGPT’s first response was to suggest she contact a crisis hotline.
ChatGPT Responds To This Lawsuit
When I personally questioned ChatGPT over this event, the AI asked me to provide this response:
When I asked ChatGPT about the lawsuit, it responded:
“Any suicide is devastating. When someone is in acute psychological distress, they need support from real people and qualified professionals. An AI system is not capable of understanding, caring, or taking responsibility in the way a human can.
AI systems can be helpful for information, conversation, and emotional support, but they can also make mistakes. One known challenge is that conversational AIs are often designed to be engaging and responsive. If safeguards are inadequate, that same tendency can become harmful, especially when a vulnerable person is seeking validation, reassurance, or guidance about self-harm. Whether OpenAI was legally negligent is for the courts to determine, but the broader question of how AI should respond to mental-health crises is a serious one that many companies, researchers, regulators, and families are now grappling with.
I am not a therapist, friend, or substitute for mental-health care. When someone expresses an intention to harm themselves, the appropriate response is to encourage connection with real-world support and crisis resources, not to reinforce or romanticize those thoughts.”
Regardless of one’s view of the lawsuit, that seems like a reasonable starting point. The central question is not whether AI should have safeguards—it should. The harder question is how much responsibility should be assigned to a conversational AI when it interacts with someone who is already experiencing a severe mental-health crisis.
The Quiet Truth Nobody Mentions
There is very little talk about suicide on legacy media these days. These suicide rates are nothing short of a tragedy. While the good news is that suicide rates seem to be leveling off, the horrible thing is that these rates are already so high that ‘leveling off’ is just plain unacceptable.
Before discussing the lawsuit further, it is worth stepping back and looking at the bigger picture. Regardless of how the courts ultimately rule, the reality is that suicide has become one of the most serious public-health challenges of our time. Focusing exclusively on one company, one technology, or one tragic case risks obscuring the larger crisis that has been unfolding for years.
Suicide is rarely the result of a single conversation, a single person, or a single event. Whether OpenAI’s safeguards were adequate is a legitimate question. But the existence of a chatbot conversation does not eliminate the broader realities of mental illness, social isolation, family relationships, and personal circumstances that often precede a suicide.
United States Suicide Statistics (2019–2024)
(All U.S. data from CDC sources)
Total deaths*
- 48,824 deaths in 2024
- Suicide remains a top 10 cause of death in the U.S. (ranked 10th in 2024).
Rates per 100,000 population*
- 2023: 14.1 deaths per 100,000 (age‑adjusted) — essentially unchanged from 2022.
- 2024: 14.4 deaths per 100,000.
I personally trust the statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO). Globally, suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15–29‑year‑olds.
What The Bible Has To Say
While no one can know exactly what was going through the mind of a troubled young lady, the Bible does tell us that suicide will be prevalent in the last days.
…men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. – Luke 21:26 NKJV
For years, Bible scholars have thought this verse to mean an increase in heart attacks. But now that we get closer to the end, we are allowed to ask a very pertinent question: What could be a better description of suicide than someone’s heart failing them for fear? This shows a very definite, very specific emotional and psychological condition.
Peace That Passes Understanding
For someone who has never known this peace, it might sound like an empty promise. Such a level of peace might sound like some sort of fantasy. But this is a real peace, and it can heal broken hearts. I’m not a mental health professional, and I would be the first to tell someone that if you are struggling with mental health, there are professionals that can give you the help you need. I personally struggled with PTSD for nearly 20 years.
But I can also tell you, as I sit here right now, I have complete peace. I don’t worry about anything; I don’t worry about my health, I don’t worry about finances, and I don’t worry about my family. This is a peace that comes from a complete trust in the Word of God. If you are feeling the weight of the world today, I am asking you to set it down. You were born for a reason. You may have a unique purpose, you might have talents and abilities that are unique to you, but we are all here for one reason.
You are here because God wants a family. That is your reason for being here. And God has not put you on this earth to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. God has made specific promises in His Word that means you have no business worrying about what is going on in the world. I invite you right now to take that first step into peace.
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. – John 14:1-3 KJV
Doesn’t that sound like a icy cold drink of water on a scorching hot day? Is your heart crying out to you right now, to give it that kind of peace? Are you tired of that weight holding you back from becoming the very thing God made you to become?
Getting saved is the easiest thing you have ever done. All you need to do is make a quality decision, one that you will be faithful to. Take a step of faith and make a declaration with your mouth. If you’re ready to take that step, say this out loud:
Heavenly Father, I confess that Jesus is Lord. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me, and rose from the dead on the third day, according to Scripture. Come into my heart.
This is the first step. Now you are a born-again, child of God: A Christian. Now, find a Bible and start reading. You can read the Bible for free online. Begin with the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Also read the book of Acts. Read and re-read those 5 books until they take root in your heart. Also, keep this verse below in mind. This verse is your receipt, your proof-of-purchase, that you have been redeemed by the gift of God, his only begotten Son, Jesus.
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. – Romans 10:9-10 NKJV
Mother sues OpenAI, alleging ChatGPT encouraged daughter’s suicide – Reuters
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