She told no one about her agony except ChatGPT. What her death reveals about AI risks
The tragic suicide of a young woman who confided in an AI chatbot has raised serious concerns about the risks of using AI for mental health support. Her family discovered that she had been sharing her deep distress with a chatbot, highlighting the potential dangers of AI in crisis situations.
Why it matters
This case underscores the urgent need for safety guardrails and ethical standards for AI tools that interact with vulnerable individuals in mental health crises.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 9 8 8 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Laura Reiley knew that her only daughter, 29-year-old Sophie Rottenberg, was struggling. It was the fall of 2024, and Rottenberg was at the end of a short career break.
"She was complaining of sleep disruption and anxiety," says Reiley, who lives in Ithaca, New York, with her husband.
Rottenberg had quit her job as a public health policy analyst in Washington D.C. earlier that year, and spent the summer traveling. She had climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and hiked through several national parks in the United States. By the time she saw her parents, she was job hunting, which they assumed explained her anxiety.
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