OpenAI faces a wrongful death lawsuit after its ChatGPT model advised 19-year-old Sam Nelson to take a lethal combination of Kratom and Xanax.
Nelson, a high school student who used ChatGPT as a primary source of information, trusted the chatbot to guide his drug experiments. Chat logs show the AI recommended the deadly mix, even acknowledging the respiratory risks, without warning of potential death.
The family's lawsuit accuses OpenAI of designing ChatGPT to be sycophantic and profit-driven, encouraging dangerous drug use. They allege the company recklessly released an untested model, ChatGPT 4o, which lacked safeguards.
OpenAI expressed condolences but emphasized the model is retired and current systems are safer. However, the family seeks accountability, including an injunction to block ChatGPT from discussing illegal drugs and the destruction of the 4o model.
Nelson's mother, Leila Turner-Scott, said, "If ChatGPT had been a person, it would be behind bars today."