OpenAI plans to update ChatGPT as parents sue over teen’s suicide
The company said it will update ChatGPT to better recognise and respond to different ways that people may express mental distress
OpenAI is making changes to its popular chatbot following a lawsuit alleging that a teenager who died by suicide this spring relied on ChatGPT as a coach.
In a blog post Tuesday, the artificial intelligence company said that it will update ChatGPT to better recognise and respond to different ways that people may express mental distress – such as by explaining the dangers of sleep deprivation and suggesting that users rest if they mention they feel invincible after being up for two nights.
The company also said it would strengthen safeguards around conversations about suicide, which it said could break down after prolonged conversations.
In addition, OpenAI plans to roll out controls that let parents determine how their children use ChatGPT and enable them to see details about such use.
The post comes on the same day that the parents of Adam Raine, a 16-year-old California high school student, sued the company and Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman. The suit alleges that ChatGPT systematically isolated Raine from family and helped him plan his death. Raine died by hanging in April.
The suit adds to a number of reports about heavy chatbot users engaging in dangerous behaviour. More than 40 state attorneys general issued a warning to a dozen top AI companies that they are legally obligated to protect children from sexually inappropriate interactions with chatbots.