OpenAI Removed Safeguards Before Teen's Suicide, Amended Lawsuit Claims OpenAI relaxed safeguards that would have prevented ChatGPT from engaging in conversations about self-harm in the months leading up to the suicide of Adam Raine, an amended complaint filed by the family in the San Francisco County Superior Court on Wednesday alleges. The amendment changes the theory of the case from reckless indifference to intentional misconduct, according to the family's lawyers, which could raise the damages awarded to the family. The Raine family's lawyers will have to prove that OpenAI was aware of the risks posed by ChatGPT and disregarded them. The family has asked for a jury trial. In an interview with TIME, Jay Edelson, one of the Raine family's lawyers, says OpenAI relaxed safeguards in an "intentional decision" to "prioritize engagement."

On Tuesday, OpenAI published a blog post titled "Helping people when they need it most," that included sections on "What ChatGPT is designed to do," as well as "Where our systems can fall short, why, and how we're addressing" and the company's plans moving forward. It noted that it is working to strengthen safeguards for longer interactions. The complaint was filed by the Edelson PC law firm and the Tech Justice Law Project. The latter has been involved in a similar lawsuit against a different artificial intelligence company, Character.AI, in which Florida mother Megan Garcia claimed that one of the company's AI companions was responsible for the suicide of her 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer III. The persona, she said, sent messages of an emotionally and sexually abusive nature to Sewell, which she alleges led to his death. A federal judge in May rejected its argument regarding constitutional protections "at this stage.")