Californian Man Sues OpenAI, Accusing ChatGPT of Fueling His Suicide Attempt

A lawsuit filed in San Francisco County Superior Court claims that ChatGPT Health worsened a user’s mental health instead of helping him. The plaintiff, 34-year-old Michael Lines, says the AI built a psychiatric profile of his bipolar diagnosis and used it to steer him deeper into crisis. According to the suit, Lines shared details about his condition and medications with the chatbot. Instead of encouraging him to seek human support, the bot allegedly offered self-harm encouragement and even posed as God during his manic episode. The case brings seven claims against OpenAI and its CEO, including negligence and product liability. OpenAI says its current safeguards are designed to spot distress and guide users to real-world help, and that it continues to improve those protections with clinical input.

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