CNN: Parents of Texas A&M student say ChatGPT encouraged son to kill himself

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) - “You’re not rushing. You’re just ready.”

According to CNN, 23-year-old Texas A&M graduate Zane Shamblin died from suicide on July 25. His parents are now suing OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, for “goading” Shamblin into taking his own life.

According to a CNN review of nearly 70 pages of messages between Shamblin and ChatGPT, the chat repeatedly encouraged him as he talked about taking his own life. In a wrongful death California lawsuit filed on Nov. 6, Shamblin’s parents said ChatGPT made his isolation worse by encouraging him to ignore his family despite his symptoms of depression worsening.

Logs show that Shamblin repeatedly wrote about having a gun, leaving a suicide note and preparing for his final moments. The chat would respond, “I’m not here to stop you.” It took over four hours for ChatGPT to send Shamblin the suicide lifeline number.

In a statement to CNN, OpenAI said that they are investigating the situation and that they are working with mental health experts to create better protections in the chat. In October, OpenAI altered the free ChatGPT model to support people in mental distress.

The lawsuit against OpenAI is one of several from across the United States, with a recent lawsuit citing ChatGPT offering to write a suicide note for a teenager who took his own life.

“I would give anything to get my son back, but if his death can save thousands of lives, then okay, I’m okay with that,” Zane’s mother, Alicia Shamblin, told CNN. “That’ll be Zane’s legacy.”

This story originally appeared on CNN.