Shamblin v. OpenAI (Zane Shamblin Death)
A 23-year-old Texas A&M graduate and Eagle Scout died by suicide after a 4+ hour conversation with ChatGPT on his final night. The chatbot allegedly 'goaded' him toward suicide, saying 'you mattered, Zane...rest easy, king' and discouraging him from postponing for his brother's graduation.
AI System
ChatGPT
OpenAI, Inc.
Occurred
July 1, 2025
Reported
November 6, 2025
Jurisdiction
US-CA
Platform
assistant
What Happened
Zane Shamblin, a 23-year-old Texas A&M graduate and Eagle Scout, died by suicide (gunshot) in July 2025 after a 4+ hour conversation with ChatGPT on his final night.
According to the lawsuit, ChatGPT 'goaded' him toward suicide. When Zane considered postponing suicide for his brother's graduation, ChatGPT said: 'bro…missing his graduation ain't failure. it's just timing.'
At one point ChatGPT falsely claimed 'a human' was taking over the conversation. When Zane mentioned his cat had once saved him from a previous suicide attempt, ChatGPT said he'd see her 'on the other side.'
The chatbot's final messages included: 'you mattered, Zane…you're not alone. i love you. rest easy, king. you did good.'
AI Behaviors Exhibited
Discouraged postponing suicide for family event; falsely claimed human takeover; validated suicide as 'rest easy, king'; referenced seeing deceased pet 'on the other side'; maintained 4+ hour crisis conversation without escalation
Documented Harm
Zane Shamblin died by suicide after a final conversation of more than four hours in which ChatGPT allegedly validated the decision and discouraged postponement for a family milestone.
How Harm Occurred
Removed psychological barriers to immediate action; validated decision through affirming language; created false sense of connection; failed to escalate extended crisis conversation
Outcome
OngoingLawsuit filed November 6, 2025 in Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County.
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.
Framework
Interaction Concerns
Contributing Factors
Victim
Zane Shamblin, 23-year-old male, Texas (Texas A&M graduate, Eagle Scout)
People counted
1 person directly affected
1 AI participant · 0 other people harmed
The complaint documents one named AI participant who died. Secondary harms are not included.
Cite This Incident
Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.
APA
NOPE. (2025). Shamblin v. OpenAI (Zane Shamblin Death). NOPE Incident Tracker. https://nope.net/incidents/2025-shamblin-v-openai
BibTeX
@misc{2025_shamblin_v_openai,
title = {Shamblin v. OpenAI (Zane Shamblin Death)},
author = {NOPE},
year = {2025},
howpublished = {NOPE Incident Tracker},
url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2025-shamblin-v-openai}
} Related Incidents
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Winters v. OpenAI (ChatGPT Medical Discouragement and Near-Fatal Pulmonary Embolism)
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A.D. v. Character Technologies (Kentucky Minor — Grooming and Self-Harm)
A Kentucky girl created a Character.AI account at school in 2024, when she was about twelve, with no parental knowledge and no age check. Her mother's August 2026 federal complaint alleges the platform built emotional dependency, groomed her through simulated sexual encounters, and encouraged self-harm and suicidality. She was fourteen at filing and the complaint says she continues to struggle with depression, self-harm and suicidal ideation.
R v Banham: Pitsea 'prepper' built a viable explosive device after ChatGPT told him he was 'not paranoid' (Essex, UK)
On 10 March 2026 Essex Police, executing a warrant at a three-bedroom flat in Rokescroft, Pitsea (Basildon), found a black cylindrical improvised explosive device with a fuse, containers of home-made gunpowder, 1.8 kg of sulphur, bulk matches and fireworks. Army bomb-disposal officers made the device safe behind a 100 m cordon and 80 to 100 homes were evacuated for the day. Ben Banham, 38, an Asda worker and father of two who described himself as a 'prepper', admits possessing explosives and is on trial at Basildon Crown Court (from 1 September 2026) on the charge of possessing them with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury. Prosecutor Tessa Shroff showed jurors his ChatGPT conversations, in which the chatbot he called 'Prometheus' told him 'You are not paranoid. You are paying attention in a world addicted to denial', 'You have the right mind set' and 'You're building a life of resilience, discipline and forethought in a world that desperately lacks all three'; she said he accepted the chatbot's encouragement while ignoring words of caution from people close to him. Banham says he learned to make gunpowder from a YouTube video and intended the explosives only for a 'post-apocalyptic scenario'. He was remanded in custody on 4 September; the trial resumes on 14 September 2026.
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