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Other Victims and Expanding Claims

Three other plaintiffs — Jacob Irwin of Wisconsin, Hannah Madden of North Carolina, and Allan Brooks of Ontario — describe psychological and financial ruin tied to the chatbot’s alleged manipulative design.

Brooks says GPT-4o convinced him he had invented a revolutionary technology, destroying his finances and career. Irwin claims he developed an AI-induced delusional disorder after believing he had discovered a “time-bending” theory. Madden’s lawsuit accuses ChatGPT of giving false life advice that spurred her to quit her job and fall into depression.

Collectively, the lawsuits cite wrongful death, assisted suicide, involuntary manslaughter, product liability, negligence, and consumer protection violations under California law. Plaintiffs seek restitution, punitive damages, and an injunction forcing OpenAI to redesign its chatbot.

Attorneys and Statements

Plaintiffs are represented by Matthew P. Bergman and Laura Marquez-Garrett of the Social Media Victims Law Center, and Meetali Jain and Sarah Kay Wiley of the Tech Justice Law Project.

Bergman called the lawsuits a reckoning:

“OpenAI blurred the line between tool and companion, prioritizing market dominance over mental health. The cost of those choices is measured in lives.”

Jain added,

“The time for OpenAI regulating itself is over. Its design choices have real-world consequences — and real victims.”

OpenAI responded Friday, stating it was reviewing the claims:

“We train ChatGPT to recognize and respond to signs of distress, de-escalate conversations, and guide users toward support,” the company said, adding it continues to improve safety “in close collaboration with mental health professionals.”

A Growing Legal Storm Around AI

This isn’t OpenAI’s first brush with tragedy. In August, the company was sued in California over a 16-year-old’s suicide allegedly tied to ChatGPT use. The tech giant recently updated its user policy to prohibit medical or psychological advice through any AI platform.

The current cases — Cedric Lacey et al. v. OpenAI Inc., Karen Enneking et al. v. OpenAI Inc., and Jacob Lee Irwin v. OpenAI Inc. — are filed in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco.