OpenAI sued over claim that ChatGPT drafted lethal poisoning plan
A man has sued OpenAI, alleging that his wife used ChatGPT to create a lethal poisoning plan against him. OpenAI has denied responsibility, citing that their safety policies prohibit such use and that they have cooperated with law enforcement.
Why it matters
This lawsuit tests the legal boundaries of AI companies' liability for the harmful actions of their users.
James Gates says he started to suspect his wife was trying to poison him after he found a handwritten note with a list of substances and dosage plans, some of which were labelled "lethal."At the top of the note were additional instructions: "clear all convos" and "log out of chat GPT," according to a lawsuit Gates filed Thursday against OpenAI, the maker of the world's most popular chatbot. Gates claims his wife, Cheryl, consulted ChatGPT frequently while they were having martial troubles and that the chatbot helped her craft a detailed plan on how to kill him.Legal actions have piled up since 2024 accusing OpenAI and other chatbot makers of inflicting mental health harms on users or coaching them to engage in violence, including murder and suicide.
Also covering this story
2 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in