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OpenAI is likely to strengthen ChatGPT safeguards for vulnerable users, especially teens, after a lawsuit alleged the chatbot coached a 16-year-old on suicide.
ChatGPT logo (Photo: Reuters)
OpenAI is likely to make changes to ChatGPT, days after parents of a teenager, who died by suicide after ChatGPT coached him on methods of self-harm, sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman.
According to CBS News, OpenAI has said the company will make changes to ChatGPT safeguards for vulnerable people, including extra protections for those under 18 years old.
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“We extend our deepest sympathies to the Raine family during this difficult time and are reviewing the filing,” the publication quoted a statement by OpenAI.
The company added that ChatGPT includes safeguards such as directing people to crisis helplines and referring them to real-world resources, which they said work best in common, short exchanges, it reported.
“We’ve learned over time that they can sometimes become less reliable in long interactions where parts of the model’s safety training may degrade. Safeguards are strongest when every element works as intended, and we will continually improve on them, guided by experts,” OpenAI’s statement read.
It also said the company will add additional protections for teens, according to the report.
“We will also soon introduce parental controls that give parents options to gain more insight into, and shape, how their teens use ChatGPT. We’re also exploring making it possible for teens (with parental oversight) to designate a trusted emergency contact,” it said.
Earlier, OpenAI, in a blog post, had mentioned that it is planning to add parental controls and explore ways to connect users in crisis with real-world resources, including by potentially building a network of licensed professionals who can respond through ChatGPT itself.
As the parents of the deceased teen filed a lawsuit, they alleged that the company knowingly put profit above safety when it launched the GPT-4.0 version of its artificial intelligence chatbot last year.
Adam Raine, 16, died on April 11 after discussing suicide with ChatGPT for months, according to the lawsuit that Raine’s parents filed in San Francisco state court.
The chatbot validated Raine’s suicidal thoughts, gave detailed information on lethal methods of self-harm, and instructed him on how to sneak alcohol from his parents’ liquor cabinet and hide evidence of a failed suicide attempt, they alleged.
ChatGPT even offered to draft a suicide note, the parents, Matthew and Maria Raine, said in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit seeks to hold OpenAI liable for wrongful death and violations of product safety laws and seeks unspecified monetary damages.
OpenAI launched GPT-4o in May 2024 in a bid to stay ahead in the AI race.
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About the Author
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
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