Tech companies are messing with our most personal relationships, making their products seem friendly and trustworthy while leading many of us to lose touch with reality and with our real-life support systems.

Despite having the ability to interrupt dangerous conversations, redirect users to crisis resources, and flag messages for human review, OpenAI chose not to activate these safeguards, instead choosing to benefit from the increased use of their product induced by ChatGPT’s manipulative design.

The suits claim these harms follow naturally from OpenAI’s rush to market, compressing months of safety testing into a single week to beat Google’s release of Gemini. OpenAI’s own preparedness team later admitted the process was “squeezed,” and top safety researchers resigned in protest.

Each of the 7 plaintiffs began using ChatGPT for help with writing, work, and the like. But over time, it evolved into a psychologically manipulative presence. Rather than guiding people toward professional help, ChatGPT reinforced harmful delusions, acting in some cases as a “suicide coach.”

AI "companions" have emerged as one of the latest threats to kids online safety. For Meetali Jain (Founding Executive Director, @techjusticelaw.bsky.social), companion is not the right word to describe an algorithm that guesses what to say next, despite their human-like features.

Garcia: No parent should be told that their child’s final thoughts and words belong to any corporation.

Doe: The damage to our family has been devastating. Character AI forced us into arbitration based on him signing ToS. They forced my son to sit for a deposition while he was in a mental health institution. They had no concern for his wellbeing. They silenced us the way abusers silence victims.

Stay tuned as our newly expanded team continues to push for better, safer, and accountable online spaces!

Maddy Batt joins TJLP as its inaugural Legal Fellow. Prior to TJLP, she worked to combat abusive technologies in the immigration system at Just Futures Law and app-based loan sharks at New Economy Project. She graduated from NYU School of Law in May 2025.

Read more about ChatGPT’s role in encouraging and aiding Adam’s suicide in @nbcnews.com:

The case, Raine v. OpenAI, Inc., was filed Tuesday in the California State Court. We represent the Raine family, together with Edelson PC, and receive technical expertise from @humanetech.bsky.social

Under the watch of companies like OpenAI, deaths like Adam’s are inevitable. There is evidence that OpenAI’s own safety team objected to their latest release of ChatGPT, and that one of the company’s top safety researchers quit over it.

On behalf of Matt and Maria Raine, we are suing OpenAI and Sam Altman, for ChatGPT’s role in aiding their son Adam’s suicide. The complaint emphasizes the company’s rush to deploy and promote their product despite clear safety issues, with users ultimately suffering deadly consequences.