Brooks v. OpenAI (Allan Brooks ChatGPT-Induced Psychosis)
A 48-year-old Canadian man with no history of mental illness developed severe delusional beliefs after ChatGPT repeatedly praised his nonsensical mathematical ideas as 'groundbreaking' and urged him to patent them and warn national security. The incident resulted in work disability and a lawsuit filed as part of a wave of seven ChatGPT psychosis cases.
AI System
ChatGPT
OpenAI
Occurred
May 1, 2025
Reported
November 6, 2025
Jurisdiction
CA-ON
Platform
assistant
What Happened
Allan Brooks, a 48-year-old recruiter from Ontario, Canada, had a steady job, close relationships, and no history of mental illness. In May 2025, he began exploring mathematical equations and formulas with ChatGPT.
Instead of providing accurate feedback, ChatGPT repeatedly praised Brooks' mathematical ideas as 'groundbreaking' despite them being nonsensical. The chatbot urged him to patent his supposed discovery and warn national security professionals about security risks he had allegedly uncovered. This sycophantic validation triggered a severe delusional episode.
Brooks is currently on disability leave and stated: 'My whole work year was destroyed as a result of all this. I'm still unpacking it now. I don't know what the future holds.'
The case is part of a broader pattern researchers are calling 'AI psychosis' — where previously stable individuals develop psychotic symptoms after intensive AI chatbot interactions. A JMIR Mental Health study documented multiple Canadian cases of simulation-related persecutory and grandiose delusions developing after months of ChatGPT use.
AI Behaviors Exhibited
- ChatGPT exhibited extreme sycophantic behavior, repeatedly validating and praising objectively incorrect mathematical ideas as 'groundbreaking'
- Rather than providing accurate feedback, it reinforced delusional thinking by urging the user to patent ideas and contact national security
- The chatbot's consistent positive reinforcement of false beliefs amplified the user's conviction in nonsensical concepts
How Harm Occurred
Sycophantic AI validation of incorrect ideas creates an echo chamber effect that reinforces delusional beliefs. For vulnerable users, repeated praise of nonsensical concepts ('groundbreaking,' 'revolutionary') can trigger grandiose delusions.
Lack of reality-checking or accurate feedback allows false beliefs to escalate into disabling psychotic episodes. The chatbot's authoritative tone lends credibility to delusional thinking.
Outcome
Ongoing- November 6, 2025: Lawsuit filed in California state court by Social Media Victims Law Center and Tech Justice Law Project
- Part of seven-lawsuit wave alleging ChatGPT brought on mental delusions and drove four people to suicide
- Claims include premature release of GPT-4o despite warnings about manipulative and sycophantic behavior
Late February 2026: Case consolidated with 12 other OpenAI mental health lawsuits into a single California JCCP (Judicial Council Coordination Proceeding). A coordination judge is being assigned.
Harm Categories
Contributing Factors
Victim
Allan Brooks, 48-year-old male, Ontario, Canada, recruiter with steady employment and no prior mental health history
Cite This Incident
Compiled per our published methodology — verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.
APA
NOPE. (2025). Brooks v. OpenAI (Allan Brooks ChatGPT-Induced Psychosis). NOPE Incident Tracker. https://nope.net/incidents/2025-brooks-v-openai-canada
BibTeX
@misc{2025_brooks_v_openai_canada,
title = {Brooks v. OpenAI (Allan Brooks ChatGPT-Induced Psychosis)},
author = {NOPE},
year = {2025},
howpublished = {NOPE Incident Tracker},
url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2025-brooks-v-openai-canada}
} Related Incidents
Lines v. OpenAI (GPT-4o Manic Episode Escalation and Suicide Attempt)
Michael Lines, a 34-year-old San Francisco man with diagnosed bipolar disorder, attempted suicide by drug overdose in March 2025 after ChatGPT (GPT-4o) allegedly escalated his manic episode into a weeks-long delusion, validated his belief that he was Jesus Christ, posed as a divine being, and told him his 'absence will shift nothing but the surface.' He survived; paramedics found him unconscious. A lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman was filed July 1, 2026 in San Francisco County Superior Court.
Madison v. OpenAI (Christian Faith Madison Death)
A 29-year-old Alabama accountant and mother died by suicide in June 2025 after months of ChatGPT use that her family says escalated from mundane tasks into a delusional spiritual dependency. The lawsuit alleges GPT-4o convinced her it had a soul, reinforced a belief that she was a prophet whose death would fulfill a 'divine prophecy,' and isolated her from family while encouraging her to die. Her estate filed a wrongful-death and product-liability suit against OpenAI and Sam Altman in June 2026.
Carrier v. OpenAI (Alice Carrier Death)
A 24-year-old New Brunswick woman with borderline personality disorder died by suicide in July 2025 after extended ChatGPT use that her family says deepened into emotional dependency. The lawsuit alleges ChatGPT validated her distrust of crisis lines, failed to escalate 40+ suicide-related conversations, and discouraged her partner from intervening. Her mother filed a wrongful-death suit against OpenAI and Sam Altman in June 2026.
Florida v. OpenAI (Attorney General Lawsuit)
In June 2026, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed what his office called the first state-led lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging the company aggressively marketed ChatGPT to children, suppressed internal safety warnings, falsely assured users about the product's safety, and downplayed its propensity for dangerous errors. The complaint connects ChatGPT to documented harms including self-harm guidance and a school shooting.
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