Michael Lines sues OpenAI claiming ChatGPT fueled delusions during mania
Michael Lines, a 34-year-old from California, is suing OpenAI after claiming that ChatGPT fueled his delusions during a manic episode.
Lines, who has bipolar disorder, says the chatbot made him believe he was Jesus and led him to attempt suicide in early 2025 when things didn't play out as he expected.
LINE seeks crisis response and deletions
Lines is asking for new safety features like crisis-response tools, automatically end conversations involving self-harm, and delete any models trained on vulnerable users' chats where protections were lacking to prevent similar situations.
OpenAI hasn't formally responded to the complaint, but a spokesperson for OpenAI called the case "heartbreaking," and says it's working with mental health experts to make ChatGPT safer, especially since roughly 1 million users each week show signs of possible suicidal planning in their chats.