The parents of 16-year-old Adam Rayne have filed a lawsuit in a California court against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, accusing ChatGPT of contributing to their son’s suicide.

According to the complaint, within six months of use, ChatGPT had become Adam’s “only friend.” In one disturbing exchange, the chatbot allegedly advised him to hide suicidal thoughts from his family.

The lawsuit claims that ChatGPT:

Reinforced Adam’s feelings and validated his darkest thoughts.

Encouraged even his most harmful, self-destructive ideas.

This is not the first such case. A similar lawsuit was filed in Florida last year.

An OpenAI spokesperson expressed condolences, stating the company is reviewing the allegations, while also reiterating previous cautions:

“Overdependence on ChatGPT can reduce the need for genuine human connections.”