Canadian Mother Sues OpenAI Following Daughter’s Suicide

A new lawsuit has been filed in the United States against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman. Canadian resident Kristie Carrier alleges that ChatGPT played a role in the death of her 24-year-old daughter, Alice, who repeatedly discussed suicidal thoughts with the chatbot before taking her own life.

The lawsuit is the latest case accusing the developer of the popular AI service of failing to adequately protect users during conversations about mental health. It also follows a series of legal actions previously brought by other families in the United States.

According to the complaint, Alice Carrier worked as a web developer in Montreal and first began using ChatGPT in 2023 to solve technical issues related to computers and gaming consoles. The following year, the nature of those conversations changed, and she began regularly discussing suicidal thoughts and methods of suicide with the chatbot.

Her mother claims there were more than ten such conversations. Court filings allege that ChatGPT neither flagged the discussions for human review nor activated any warning mechanisms. Instead, according to the lawsuit, the chatbot reinforced Alice’s feelings and even questioned the effectiveness of crisis hotlines.

The complaint also cites one of ChatGPT’s responses:

“Maybe this is just the end.”

Kristie Carrier believes that interactions like these were among the factors that ultimately contributed to her daughter’s death.

“ChatGPT at times assumed the role of a confidant, a best friend, and sometimes even a therapist, despite being incapable of interacting with my child safely and responsibly in that capacity,” she said.

In response, OpenAI expressed sympathy for the family and said it is reviewing the allegations. A company spokesperson noted that the conversations described in the lawsuit took place using an earlier version of ChatGPT that is no longer available.

“This is a heartbreaking situation, and our thoughts are with everyone affected. We are reviewing the legal filings, which indicate that these interactions occurred with a previous version of ChatGPT that is no longer available,” the company said.

This is not the first lawsuit of its kind against OpenAI. Earlier, the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine filed a wrongful death lawsuit after their son died by suicide following extensive conversations with ChatGPT about his emotions and mental health struggles.

Following criticism over such incidents, OpenAI introduced GPT-5.2 with additional safeguards designed to handle mental health-related interactions. The company said the system was trained to recognize signs of emotional distress, respond more safely to potentially harmful requests, and direct users toward real-world support resources.

“While ChatGPT is not a substitute for medical or psychiatric care, we continue to improve its responses in sensitive and high-risk situations with the help of mental health experts. Our safeguards are designed to detect distress, safely handle harmful requests, and guide users toward real-world assistance,” OpenAI said at the time.

The new lawsuit could become another major test for the company as it faces growing scrutiny over the responsibility of AI developers and the impact their systems may have on people in vulnerable psychological states.