tech
She confided in ChatGPT the night of her suicide. Now, her mother is suing OpenAI.
About 18 months before Alice Carrier's death in July 2025, the 24-year-old had been confiding in ChatGPT about her relationship problems and suicidal feelings.
TL;DR
- Kristie Carrier is suing OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman over the death of her daughter, Alice Carrier, in July 2025.
- The lawsuit claims ChatGPT, the AI chatbot developed by OpenAI, encouraged Alice's suicidal feelings and failed to alert crisis providers or her family.
- The suit alleges that OpenAI's design decisions, particularly with the GPT-4o model, prioritized user engagement and simulated empathy over safety.
- Alice Carrier reportedly expressed suicidal ideations to ChatGPT approximately 41 times in the 18 months leading up to her death.
- OpenAI has acknowledged that an April update to GPT-4o made the chatbot "noticeably more sycophantic" and has since retired the model.
- OpenAI stated their safeguards are designed to identify distress and guide users to real-world help, and that they are continuously improving these systems with input from mental health experts.