Mother sues OpenAI in US after daughter’s death linked to ChatGPT use

Alice Carrier had recently started playing the guitar again, a hobby she enjoyed in high school but had set aside during college. It was one of several pursuits she filled her free time with as she interviewed for new jobs, spent time with her dog and enjoyed activities, including gaming.

By all appearances, at least to her mother, Kristie Carrier, things were going well. Alice was working as a web developer in Montreal, Canada, fulfilling a dream she had carried since growing up in the small town of Lawrence, New Brunswick.

“Things were going in a good direction, and things seemed to be getting better for her,” Kristie Carrier told Al Jazeera.

But what Kristie did not know was how much her daughter was struggling in silence. In 2023, she began using ChatGPT to help identify issues with computers and gaming consoles, but that quickly shifted to being more of a confidant amid feelings of loneliness, isolation, and being unloved.

Alice struggled with her mental health. While she was taking medication and regularly in therapy, according to her mother, for months she confided in the chatbot. She shared thoughts of suicide and sought ways to carry it out, which, according to a new lawsuit filed on Thursday in a California court, happened more than 40 times.

On July 2, 2025, Alice took her own life. She was 24 years old. Only hours before, she had been exchanging texts with her mom about cartoons she watched as a child.

“I had texted her the evening before and called, but there was no answer. She texted me back, and there were no indications there was anything wrong,” Carrier said.

While looking for answers, Kristie searched through her devices, including her ChatGPT conversations, where she shared suicidal thoughts months before she ultimately passed.