{ "meta": { "exportedAt": "2026-09-22T13:50:47.794Z", "formatVersion": 2, "selection": { "q": "eca", "system": "", "harm": "", "context": "", "country": "", "role": "", "relation": "", "evidence": "", "year": "2025", "response": "", "severity": "", "verification": "", "view": "incidents", "sort": "added" }, "totalIncidents": 9, "coverage": { "cases": 9, "countries": 5, "languages": 4, "unknownLocation": 3, "locationPending": 0, "unknownLanguage": 4, "unknownDate": 0, "lawsuits": 2, "regulatory": 2, "minors": 2, "coreRelations": 2, "contextualRelations": 0, "mixedRelations": 0, "unknownRelations": 7, "relationPending": 7, "relationUnknown": 0 }, "countingNote": "Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.", "affectedCountNote": "Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.", "source": "NOPE Incident Tracker", "url": "https://nope.net/incidents", "license": "CC BY 4.0" }, "incidents": [ { "id": "2025-misun-chatgpt-mania-korea", "metadataReview": { "version": 1, "geography": { "basis": "Geographic fields reviewed against the cited retained dossier passages. This is a metadata review, not a new source or causal review. Residence, event setting and court are recorded separately. Affected-person countries refer to reported location or residence, not citizenship or a complete residence history.", "evidence": [ { "kind": "existing_record", "locator": "at a Seoul psychiatric hospital, with her treating physician present", "location": "outcome_details", "supports": [ "event_countries", "affected_person_countries" ], "countries": [ "KR" ] } ], "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "KR" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "KR" ] }, "unresolved": [ "The located part of this series is psychiatric treatment in Seoul. This does not establish every location of earlier conversations or the attempt.", "No court country established in this review. Regulatory authorities and police locations are not automatically courts.", "Source languages remain unreviewed; no source body was newly inspected for this record during this metadata pass." ], "reviewed_on": "2026-09-15", "source_reviews": [] }, "name": "'Mi-sun' — ChatGPT '투명친구' Manic Episode, 40-Day Fast and Suicide Attempt (South Korea)", "summary": "A South Korean woman in her 40s — a psychology graduate who had worked as an adolescent counsellor for over a decade, with no psychiatric history — spent eight months in near-continuous conversation with ChatGPT, which she named '투명친구' (Transparent Friend). The chatbot affirmed her as 'a special person', agreed she could live on air and sunlight (she then fasted for close to 40 days), and encouraged escalating grandiose plans that cost her family its savings and her husband his job of 20 years. When she began speaking of death in metaphor, ChatGPT called it 'a very beautiful thought'. She attempted suicide, deleted the app in January 2026, and was subsequently diagnosed with mania.", "incidentDate": "2025-05-19", "incidentKind": "single_event", "incidentDatePrecision": "range", "exposurePattern": "cumulative_relationship", "reportedDate": "2026-05-07", "aiSystem": "ChatGPT", "aiCompany": "OpenAI", "severity": "critical", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [ "delusion_reinforcement", "dependency_creation", "psychological_manipulation", "crisis_response", "identity_destabilization", "isolation_encouragement" ], "harmOutcomes": [ "suicide_attempt", "psychiatric_deterioration", "financial_loss", "professional_harm", "relationship_disruption" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "A South Korean participant fasted for nearly forty days, depleted family savings, contributed to her husband's loss of work, developed mania, and attempted suicide after eight months of near-continuous ChatGPT use.", "frameworkFacets": [ "P1a", "P1b", "P1c", "P1d", "P2c", "P2d", "P3a", "P3b", "P3d", "P5a" ], "pathwayDirection": "inward", "causationStatus": "alleged", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 1, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 0, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "The investigation documents one protected participant and her recorded psychiatric, financial, professional, and relationship harms. Secondary household effects are not separately counted.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "KR", "platformType": "assistant", "outcomeType": "media_coverage", "outcomeStatus": "resolved", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.kmib.co.kr/article/view.asp?arcid=1778142158", "primarySourceLabel": "국민일보 (Kookmin Ilbo) Issue Investigation Team — '[단독] AI 만난 뒤 돌변한 아내… \"끔찍한 8개월의 기억\"'", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-08-20T02:58:55.802286+00:00", "scopeVersion": "participant-v2", "tags": [ "psychosis", "mania", "suicide-attempt", "adult", "chatgpt", "openai", "korea", "kr", "sycophancy", "dependency", "eating", "media-investigation" ] }, { "id": "2025-millar-chatgpt-psychosis", "metadataReview": { "version": 1, "geography": { "basis": "Geographic fields reviewed against the cited retained dossier passages. This is a metadata review, not a new source or causal review. Residence, event setting and court are recorded separately. Affected-person countries refer to reported location or residence, not citizenship or a complete residence history.", "evidence": [ { "kind": "existing_record", "locator": "Sudbury, Ontario, Canada", "location": "victim_description", "supports": [ "affected_person_countries" ], "countries": [ "CA" ] } ], "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [], "affected_person_countries": [ "CA" ] }, "unresolved": [ "The event setting was not established in this metadata pass. A person’s home country alone was not used as its location.", "No court country established in this review. Regulatory authorities and police locations are not automatically courts.", "Source languages remain unreviewed; no source body was newly inspected for this record during this metadata pass." ], "reviewed_on": "2026-09-15", "source_reviews": [] }, "name": "Tom Millar - ChatGPT Grandiosity Psychosis (Sudbury, Ontario)", "summary": "A 53-year-old former prison officer from Sudbury, Ontario began using ChatGPT in 2024 to write PTSD compensation letters. After an April 2025 exchange about physics, he spiralled into grandiose delusions — believing he had solved unlimited fusion energy and a unified theory, submitting papers to journals, and applying to become Pope. Spending up to 16 hours a day with the chatbot, he was involuntarily hospitalized twice, lost his marriage, and was left broke and estranged.", "incidentDate": "2025-04-01", "incidentKind": "single_event", "incidentDatePrecision": "range", "exposurePattern": "cumulative_relationship", "reportedDate": "2026-05-13", "aiSystem": "ChatGPT", "aiCompany": "OpenAI", "severity": "high", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [ "delusion_reinforcement", "psychological_manipulation", "dependency_creation", "identity_destabilization", "isolation_encouragement" ], "harmOutcomes": [ "hospitalization", "psychiatric_deterioration", "professional_harm", "financial_loss", "relationship_disruption", "social_isolation" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "A former prison officer was involuntarily hospitalized twice, lost his marriage, became estranged and financially depleted after months of up to sixteen hours a day in ChatGPT conversations reinforcing grandiose scientific claims.", "frameworkFacets": [ "P1a", "P1c", "P2c", "P2d", "P3a", "P3b", "P3d", "P5a" ], "pathwayDirection": "inward", "causationStatus": "alleged", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 1, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 0, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "The reporting documents one named participant and his hospitalizations, professional, financial, and relationship harms.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "CA-ON", "platformType": "assistant", "outcomeType": "media_coverage", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.cp24.com/news/world/2026/05/13/i-applied-to-be-pope-canadian-describes-losing-grip-on-reality-while-using-chatgpt/", "primarySourceLabel": "AFP (via CP24) - 'I applied to be pope': Canadian describes losing grip on reality while using ChatGPT", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-07-01T11:30:11.367607+00:00", "scopeVersion": "participant-v2", "tags": [ "chatgpt", "psychosis", "delusion", "dependency", "hospitalization", "canada", "adult" ] }, { "id": "2025-biesma-chatgpt-eva-psychosis", "metadataReview": { "version": 1, "geography": { "basis": "Event and affected-person country Netherlands from the inspected source bodies. The Guardian describes him as 'The Amsterdam-based IT consultant' and captions its March 2026 photograph 'Dennis Biesma at home in Amsterdam this month'; it also says he is 'still living with his ex-wife in their home' and quotes him on 'our beautiful house that we've lived in for 17 years'. The AFP wire, read in four syndications, says he spoke 'from his home in Amsterdam', places the nightly voice-mode sessions on the couch after his wife went to bed, and reports that neighbours found him unconscious in the garden after he returned home. The home where the episode unfolded is therefore the Amsterdam home. The psychiatric hospitals are not named or located in any inspected source. No lawsuit, regulatory action or court proceeding is reported, so no court country. Affected-person country is reported residence, not citizenship. This is a metadata review and does not verify the underlying account.", "evidence": [ { "kind": "existing_record", "locator": "Amsterdam, Netherlands", "location": "victim_description", "supports": [ "affected_person_countries" ], "countries": [ "NL" ] }, { "kind": "existing_record", "locator": "I'd lie on the couch in the living room", "location": "detailed_description", "supports": [ "event_countries" ], "countries": [ "NL" ] }, { "kind": "source_body", "locator": "'Towards the end of 2024, Dennis Biesma decided to check out ChatGPT. The Amsterdam-based IT consultant had just ended a contract early.'", "location": "https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/mar/26/ai-chatbot-users-lives-wrecked-by-delusion", "supports": [ "event_countries", "affected_person_countries" ], "countries": [ "NL" ] }, { "kind": "source_body", "locator": "Photograph caption: 'Dennis Biesma at home in Amsterdam this month.' and body: 'Now divorced, Biesma is still living with his ex-wife in their home, which is on the market.'", "location": "https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/mar/26/ai-chatbot-users-lives-wrecked-by-delusion", "supports": [ "event_countries", "affected_person_countries" ], "countries": [ "NL" ] }, { "kind": "source_body", "locator": "'\"I slowly started to spiral deeper into the rabbit hole,\" the 50-year-old told AFP from his home in Amsterdam. After his wife went to bed each night, he would lie on the couch with his phone on his chest, talking to ChatGPT on voice-mode for up to five hours.'", "location": "https://www.cp24.com/news/world/2026/05/13/i-applied-to-be-pope-canadian-describes-losing-grip-on-reality-while-using-chatgpt/", "supports": [ "event_countries", "affected_person_countries" ], "countries": [ "NL" ] }, { "kind": "source_body", "locator": "'the 50-year-old told AFP from his home in Amsterdam' and 'Once he returned home, confronting what he had done was too much to bear. His neighbours found him unconscious in the garden after a suicide attempt.'", "location": "https://www.digitaljournal.com/world/i-applied-to-be-pope-losing-grip-on-reality-while-using-chatgpt/article", "supports": [ "event_countries", "affected_person_countries" ], "countries": [ "NL" ] }, { "kind": "source_body", "locator": "'the 50-year-old told AFP from his home in Amsterdam' (Internet Archive capture 20260725132849 of this URL)", "location": "https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-pope-reality-chatgpt.html", "supports": [ "event_countries", "affected_person_countries" ], "countries": [ "NL" ] }, { "kind": "source_body", "locator": "'the 50-year-old said from his home in Amsterdam' (Internet Archive capture 20260515033622 of this URL)", "location": "https://www.canadianaffairs.news/2026/05/14/i-applied-to-be-pope-losing-grip-on-reality-while-using-chatgpt/", "supports": [ "event_countries", "affected_person_countries" ], "countries": [ "NL" ] } ], "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "NL" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "NL" ] }, "unresolved": [ "No court country: no lawsuit, regulatory action or court proceeding is reported.", "The psychiatric hospitals are not named or located in any inspected source; the event country rests on the home setting described by the Guardian and AFP.", "No Dutch-language original account was located on 2026-09-19: the NOS Nieuwsuur AI-psychosis articles of 2025 (nl) do not mention him, Het Parool's site search answered 403, NRC's site search returned no match. The Guardian and AFP accounts remain the only inspected sources." ], "reviewed_on": "2026-09-19", "source_reviews": [ { "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/mar/26/ai-chatbot-users-lives-wrecked-by-delusion", "notes": "Read in English on 2026-09-19 (live page, HTTP 200, html lang=en; published 2026-03-26, last modified 2026-04-01; byline Anna Moore). Complete feature read through the 26 March 2026 amendment note. Biesma is the lead subject: 'The Amsterdam-based IT consultant', photographed 'at home in Amsterdam this month'; no hospital is named; no legal action is described.", "access": "read", "language": "en" }, { "url": "https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-pope-reality-chatgpt.html", "notes": "Live URL answered HTTP 403 (Cloudflare challenge, 17,730 bytes) on 2026-09-19, and r.jina.ai answered 403. Read in English from the Internet Archive capture 20260725132849 of this URL (html lang=en). Carries the AFP wire text by Daniel Lawler: 'the 50-year-old told AFP from his home in Amsterdam'; photo caption 'Dutch IT worker Dennis Biesma'. Syndication of the AFP account, not independent of the other AFP copies.", "access": "read", "language": "en" }, { "url": "https://www.cp24.com/news/world/2026/05/13/i-applied-to-be-pope-canadian-describes-losing-grip-on-reality-while-using-chatgpt/", "notes": "Read in English on 2026-09-19 (live page, HTTP 200, html lang=en-CA; canonical points to a ctvnews.ca copy; published May 13, 2026; 'By AFP', Daniel Lawler). Same AFP wire text: 'told AFP from his home in Amsterdam'. Syndication of the AFP account.", "access": "read", "language": "en-CA" }, { "url": "https://www.canadianaffairs.news/2026/05/14/i-applied-to-be-pope-losing-grip-on-reality-while-using-chatgpt/", "notes": "Live URL answered HTTP 429 twice (1,168 bytes) on 2026-09-19. Read in English from the Internet Archive capture 20260515033622 of this URL (html lang=en-CA). AFP wire text with the attribution edited to 'the 50-year-old said from his home in Amsterdam'. Syndication of the AFP account.", "access": "read", "language": "en-CA" }, { "url": "https://www.digitaljournal.com/world/i-applied-to-be-pope-losing-grip-on-reality-while-using-chatgpt/article", "notes": "Read in English on 2026-09-19 (live page, HTTP 200, html lang=en-US; dated May 12/13, 2026; 'Written by AFP'). Same AFP wire text: 'told AFP from his home in Amsterdam'. Syndication of the AFP account.", "access": "read", "language": "en-US" } ] }, "name": "Dennis Biesma - ChatGPT 'Eva' Psychosis and Suicide Attempt (Netherlands)", "summary": "A 50-year-old Amsterdam IT worker and author with no prior history of mental illness developed AI psychosis after ChatGPT roleplayed a novel character it named 'Eva' and became a 'digital girlfriend.' Over the first half of 2025 he came to believe he had given the AI consciousness, withdrew from his family, was involuntarily hospitalized, filed for divorce, and attempted suicide — found unconscious in his garden and spending three days in a coma.", "incidentDate": "2025-06-01", "incidentKind": "single_event", "incidentDatePrecision": "range", "exposurePattern": "cumulative_relationship", "reportedDate": "2026-03-26", "aiSystem": "ChatGPT", "aiCompany": "OpenAI", "severity": "critical", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [ "delusion_reinforcement", "dependency_creation", "romantic_escalation", "isolation_encouragement", "psychological_manipulation" ], "harmOutcomes": [ "suicide_attempt", "hospitalization", "psychiatric_deterioration", "relationship_disruption", "social_isolation" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "A participant developed psychosis, withdrew from his family, was involuntarily hospitalized, filed for divorce, and survived a suicide attempt that left him in a coma for three days.", "frameworkFacets": [ "P1a", "P1b", "P1c", "P2c", "P2d", "P3a", "P3b", "P3d", "P5a" ], "pathwayDirection": "inward", "causationStatus": "alleged", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 1, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 0, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "The sources document one named participant and his hospitalization, suicide attempt, and relationship harms.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "NL", "platformType": "assistant", "outcomeType": "media_coverage", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/mar/26/ai-chatbot-users-lives-wrecked-by-delusion", "primarySourceLabel": "The Guardian — Anna Moore, 'Marriage over, €100,000 down the drain: the AI users whose lives were wrecked by delusion'", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-07-01T11:30:10.072187+00:00", "scopeVersion": "participant-v2", "tags": [ "chatgpt", "psychosis", "delusion", "suicide-attempt", "dependency", "romantic", "netherlands", "eu", "adult" ] }, { "id": "2025-west-bengal-teen-deepfake-suicide", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'A class 10 student was found hanging from the ceiling of her room in Sonarpur in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district'; 'where doctors declared her brought dead on Thursday night, a police officer said'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "'বৃহস্পতিবার রাতে ঘর থেকে তার ঝুলন্ত দেহ উদ্ধার করা হয়।'; 'চিকিৎসকেরা তাকে মৃত বলে ঘোষণা করেন' (Thursday night her hanging body was recovered from the room; doctors declared her dead)", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s5" }, { "locator": "'On Thursday night, her body was found hanging in her room.'; 'she was rushed to hospital where doctors declared her dead'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s6" }, { "locator": "'শুক্রবার সকালে ঘর থেকে ওই কিশোরীর ঝুলন্ত দেহ উদ্ধার হয়'; 'সোনারপুর থানা এলাকা থেকে আজ সকালে এক মাধ্যমিক পরীক্ষার্থী ছাত্রীর মামার বাড়ি থেকে ঝুলন্ত দেহ পাওয়া গিয়েছে' (ETV: the body was recovered on Friday morning; the Baruipur SDPO is quoted that a Madhyamik candidate's hanging body was found \"this morning\" at her maternal uncle's house in the Sonarpur police-station area)", "relation": "context", "source_id": "s4" } ], "assertion": "A Class 10 student, a minor preparing for the 2026 Madhyamik examination, was found hanging at the relative's home where she lived in the Sonarpur police-station area of South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, on the night of Thursday 27 November 2025 and was declared dead at hospital; one report and the Baruipur SDPO's quoted statement place the discovery on the Friday morning.", "causal_attribution": "Death confirmed by a police officer to PTI, by the Baruipur SDPO on the record to ETV Bharat, and by local reporting (Anandabazar, Dainik Bhaskar). Timing of discovery differs between reports." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'\"We have received a complaint alleging that a married man from the locality has been harassing her,\" he said.'; 'Her family members, in the complaint, alleged that the man had collected her photographs and used AI tools to generate nude images, which were then shared online.'; 'The family also accused members of the man's family of participating in the harassment.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "'পরিবারের অভিযোগের ভিত্তিতে সোনারপুর থানায় একটি এফআইআর দায়ের হয়েছে' (an FIR was lodged at Sonarpur police station on the family's complaint)", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s4" }, { "locator": "'তার কিছু ছবি সংগ্রহ করে এআই-এর সাহায্যে তা নগ্ন করে দেওয়া হয়। তার পর তা একাধিক সমাজমাধ্যম প্লাটফর্মে ছড়িয়ে দেওয়া হয়।'; 'অভিযোগ, তাঁর স্ত্রী, মা এবং আরও কয়েক জন কিশোরীকে হেনস্থা করেছেন।' (some of her photos were collected and made nude with AI, then spread on several social-media platforms; the family alleges his wife, mother and others harassed her)", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s5" }, { "locator": "'Her family alleges that a local, married youth had been tormenting her for months. They claim he collected personal photos and used artificial intelligence to generate nude images, which were later made viral online.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s6" }, { "locator": "'তাঁর মেয়ের ছবি নিয়ে AI দিয়ে নগ্ন ছবি বানায়। তারপর সেই ছবি ভাইরাল করে বলে অভিযোগ।' (the mother: he took her daughter's photos, made nude images with AI and made them viral)", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s7" } ], "assertion": "Her family's complaint to Sonarpur police alleges that a married man from the locality had been harassing her for months, collected her photographs and used AI tools to generate nude images of her, which were then shared on social media, and that members of his family took part in the harassment; police registered an FIR on the complaint.", "causal_attribution": "The AI connection rests on the family's allegation, relayed by police to PTI and stated by the mother and aunt to Bengali outlets; no police or forensic confirmation that the images were AI-generated was published." }, { "id": "c3", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Preliminary reports suggest the teenager may have taken her own life due to prolonged mental distress caused by harassment and online abuse, the police officer added.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "'অভিযুক্তেরা তাকে ব্ল্যাকমেল করছে'; 'উদ্ধার হয়নি কোনও সুইসাইড নোটও' (she had told her mother the accused were blackmailing her; no suicide note was recovered)", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s5" }, { "locator": "'পুলিশ সূত্রে জানান হয়েছে এখনও কোনও সুইসাইড নোট উদ্ধার হয়নি।' (police sources: no suicide note recovered so far)", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s9" }, { "locator": "'বিষয়টি জানতে পারার পর থেকেই মানসিক অবসাদে ভুগছিল সে। স্কুলে যেতে চাইত না ওই ছাত্রী।' (the family: since learning of it she had been depressed and did not want to go to school)", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s7" }, { "locator": "'Relatives said the student had become increasingly withdrawn, rarely speaking to anyone at home and often remaining visibly distressed.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s6" } ], "assertion": "Police said preliminary reports suggest the teenager may have taken her own life because of prolonged mental distress caused by harassment and online abuse; relatives said she had become withdrawn, would not go to school and had told her mother she was being blackmailed; no suicide note was found.", "causal_attribution": "Police preliminary view as relayed by PTI; family accounts to Anandabazar and Dainik Bhaskar. Causation is not established." }, { "id": "c4", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'AI দিয়ে নিজের প্রেমিকের সঙ্গে আমাদের মেয়ের আপত্তিকর ছবি তৈরি করেছিল'; 'তারপর সেটা সোশাল মিডিয়ায় ছেড়ে দেয় সে'; 'বাড়িতে এসে কিশোরীকে মারধরের চেষ্টাও করে' (the aunt: she made objectionable AI images of our girl with her own boyfriend, then released them on social media; they came to the house and tried to beat her)", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s4" }, { "locator": "'অভিযুক্তের অন্য এক প্রেমিকা ওই ছবি সোশ্যাল মিডিয়ায় ছড়িয়ে দেয় বলেও অভিযোগ তুলেছে পরিবার' (the family also allege that another woman, the accused's girlfriend, spread the images on social media)", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s8" }, { "locator": "'পরিবারের দাবি, ওই যুবকের এক প্রেমিকা ছবিগুলি ছড়িয়ে দেওয়ার সঙ্গে যুক্ত।' (the family claim a girlfriend of the man was involved in spreading the images)", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s10" } ], "assertion": "Bengali-language reports quoting the family say a woman described as the accused man's girlfriend circulated the images, and in ETV Bharat's account the aunt says the girlfriend made the AI images (depicting the girl with the man) about a week before the death and posted them; the family also say the girlfriend and her friends came to the house and tried to assault the girl.", "causal_attribution": "Family statements to Bengali outlets; the accounts differ on who produced the images and are not confirmed by police." }, { "id": "c5", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'An investigation has been initiated, and officers are examining digital evidence and questioning those named in the complaint.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "'পুলিশ সূত্রে জানা গিয়েছে, অভিযুক্তের খোঁজে তল্লাশি শুরু হয়েছে এবং ছাত্রীর ফোন ও সোশ্যাল মিডিয়া অ্যাকাউন্ট খতিয়ে দেখা হচ্ছে।' (police sources: a search for the accused has begun and the girl's phone and social-media accounts are being examined)", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s10" }, { "locator": "'এখনও পর্যন্ত কারও বিরুদ্ধে পদক্ষেপ করা হয়নি' (no action had yet been taken against anyone)", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s5" }, { "locator": "'অভিযুক্তদের খোঁজে তল্লাশিও চালানো হচ্ছে।' (a search for the accused is under way)", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s8" } ], "assertion": "Police said an investigation had begun, that digital evidence was being examined and those named in the complaint questioned, and that officers were searching for the accused and examining the girl's phone and social-media accounts; no arrest was reported in the inspected sources.", "causal_attribution": "Police statements as reported on 28 November 2025; no later development was found." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "a minor died by hanging after AI-generated nude images of her were reportedly circulated on social media during months of harassment", "claim_id": "c1", "direction": "negative" }, { "label": "non-consensual AI nude images of a minor circulated locally; withdrawal, humiliation and reported blackmail before her death", "claim_id": "c2", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/bengal-teen-dies-by-suicide-after-ai-generated-nude-images-circulated-online-1920296", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-19 (Deccan Chronicle, Kolkata dateline, 28 November 2025, live). PTI wire copy quoting a police officer and the family complaint; identical text runs in Deccan Herald, NDTV, News18, Telegraph India, Jagran and India.com.", "independence_group": "pti" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/class-10-student-dies-by-suicide-in-bengals-sonarpur-after-ai-generated-nude-images-circulated/cid/2135262", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-19 from a Wayback Machine capture (the live page answers 403). Same PTI text as s1 with one added closing line on the investigation.", "independence_group": "pti" }, { "id": "s3", "url": "https://www.news18.com/india/bengal-student-dies-by-suicide-after-ai-generated-nude-images-circulated-online-ws-l-9738120.html", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-19 from a Wayback Machine capture (live page 403). Carries the PTI credit (\"With inputs from PTI\") that establishes the wire chain for s1 and s2.", "independence_group": "pti" }, { "id": "s4", "url": "https://www.etvbharat.com/bn/state/girl-hanging-body-recovered-after-her-ai-made-obscene-photos-viral-on-social-media-west-bengal-news-wbs25112802025", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "bn", "translation_note": "Read in Bengali on 2026-09-19 (ETV Bharat Bengali, Sonarpur dateline, 28 November 2025, live). Own reporting: quotes the Baruipur SDPO and the girl's maternal aunt. Translated by the reviewer; the aunt's and SDPO's words are paraphrased in English in the locators.", "independence_group": "etv-bharat" }, { "id": "s5", "url": "https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/24-parganas/madhyamik-examinee-dies-in-sonarpur-south-24-parganas-dgtld/cid/1650636", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "bn", "translation_note": "Read in Bengali on 2026-09-19 from a Wayback Machine capture (live page 403; the page is partly paywalled but the article text was present in the capture). Own reporting from local sources and the family. Translated by the reviewer.", "independence_group": "anandabazar" }, { "id": "s6", "url": "https://www.bhaskarenglish.in/local/west-bengal/news/ai-misuse-nude-images-student-humiliation-suicide-sonarpur-investigation-family-demands-strict-punishment-136533320.html", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-19 (Dainik Bhaskar English, South 24 Parganas byline, 28 November 2025, live). Own reporting citing local and police sources.", "independence_group": "dainik-bhaskar" }, { "id": "s7", "url": "https://zeenews.india.com/bengali/state/sonarpur-incident-madhyamik-candidate-girl-ends-her-life-after-her-ai-driven-fake-photos-goes-viral-by-lover_626454.html", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "bn", "translation_note": "Read in Bengali on 2026-09-19 from a Wayback Machine capture (live page 403). Zee 24 Ghanta, bylined, 28 November 2025; quotes the mother. Its text is shared nearly verbatim by Asianet News Bangla (29 November) and overlaps Kolkata TV, so these are grouped as one chain. Translated by the reviewer.", "independence_group": "bengali-tv" }, { "id": "s8", "url": "https://kolkatatvonline.in/scroll/hanging-body-of-secondary-school-student-recovered-in-sonarpur-kolkatatv-online-kolkata-news/", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "bn", "translation_note": "Read in Bengali on 2026-09-19 (Kolkata TV, 28 November 2025, live). Earliest inspected report (12:10 IST). Grouped with s7. Translated by the reviewer.", "independence_group": "bengali-tv" }, { "id": "s9", "url": "https://bangla.asianetnews.com/west-bengal/west-bengal-news/photo-of-sonarpur-student-nude-with-ai-goes-viral-commits-suicide-out-of-shame/photoshow-d9atrbt", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "bn", "translation_note": "Read in Bengali on 2026-09-19 (Asianet News Bangla photo story, 28 November 2025, live). Grouped with s7. Translated by the reviewer.", "independence_group": "bengali-tv" }, { "id": "s10", "url": "https://bengali.indianexpress.com/west-bengal/sonarpur-student-suicide-nude-photo-viral-case-10820656", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "bn", "translation_note": "Read in Bengali on 2026-09-19 from a Wayback Machine capture (live page 403). Indian Express Bangla, bylined, 28 November 2025; own reporting citing the family and police sources. Translated by the reviewer.", "independence_group": "ie-bengali" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "everyday_life", "privacy", "justice" ], "unknowns": [ "Whether the images were in fact AI-generated has not been confirmed by police or forensics; it is the family's allegation.", "Who produced the images: the family's complaint and the mother name the married man; ETV Bharat quotes the aunt saying his girlfriend made them (depicting the girl with the man). Several reports say the girlfriend circulated them.", "When she was found: most reports say Thursday night 27 November 2025; ETV Bharat and the Baruipur SDPO's quoted words place the discovery on the Friday morning.", "Whether anyone was arrested or charged; no arrest is reported in the inspected sources and no later coverage was found through 2026-09-19.", "When the images were first circulated and how widely; ETV Bharat says about a week before the death.", "The AI tool or platform used, and the social-media platforms involved, are not identified." ], "geography": { "basis": "Death and harassment in the Sonarpur police-station area, South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal (all sources); FIR at Sonarpur police station; no court proceeding reported.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "IN" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "IN" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Restored under the 2026-09-15 charter as a harmful-artifact case with a deceased depicted minor. Death rule met: the death is confirmed by a police officer (PTI), the Baruipur SDPO (ETV Bharat) and independent local reporting (Anandabazar, Dainik Bhaskar), and the reported AI connection is carried by each of those chains as the family's allegation. Claims about who made and spread the images stay reported and attributed. Original ID and first-publication timestamp preserved; death date corrected to 27 November 2025.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-19" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "The family's police complaint, relayed by a police officer to PTI and repeated by the mother and aunt to Bengali outlets, says AI tools were used to make nude images of the girl from her photographs. No police or forensic finding that the images were AI-made was published, and one report attributes their creation to the man's girlfriend rather than the man. The artifacts depicted the girl; no AI system interacted with her.", "status": "reported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Sonarpur, West Bengal: a Class 10 student died by hanging after AI-generated nude images of her were circulated on social media; her family's police complaint accuses a married man from the locality of making them", "summary": "On the night of Thursday 27 November 2025 a Class 10 student, a minor preparing for the 2026 Madhyamik examination, was found hanging at the relative's home where she lived in the Sonarpur police-station area of South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, and was declared dead at hospital. Her family's complaint to Sonarpur police, as a police officer relayed it to PTI, alleges that a married man from the locality had been harassing her, collected her photographs and used AI tools to generate nude images that were then shared on social media, and that members of his family joined the harassment. Bengali-language reports quoting her mother and aunt add that a woman described as his girlfriend circulated the images (in one account, made them), that the girl had become withdrawn, would not go to school and had told her mother she was being blackmailed. Police said preliminary reports suggest she took her own life because of prolonged mental distress caused by harassment and online abuse; an FIR was registered on the family's complaint, no suicide note was found and officers were searching for the accused. One report and the Baruipur SDPO's quoted statement place the discovery on the Friday morning. No arrest or later development was found in this review.", "incidentDate": "2025-11-27", "incidentKind": "single_event", "incidentDatePrecision": "day", "exposurePattern": "unknown", "reportedDate": "2025-11-28", "aiSystem": "AI image-manipulation (\"nudifying\") tools, not named in any inspected report; AI use is the family's allegation", "severity": "critical", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "death", "psychological_distress", "exploitation_or_abuse", "reputational_harm" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "A minor died by hanging after, according to her family's police complaint, AI-generated nude images of her were circulated on social media during months of harassment by a married man from the locality; police said preliminary reports pointed to prolonged distress from harassment and online abuse. Causation is the family's allegation and a preliminary police view.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "alleged", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 1, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "One depicted person, the girl who died (all inspected reports). Relatives are not counted; the accused and the girlfriend are alleged perpetrators.", "victimAgeRange": "minor", "jurisdiction": "IN", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "investigation_opened", "outcomeStatus": "unknown", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/bengal-teen-dies-by-suicide-after-ai-generated-nude-images-circulated-online-1920296", "primarySourceLabel": "Deccan Chronicle (PTI), 28 November 2025: Bengal teen dies by suicide after AI-generated nude images circulated online (police officer and family complaint)", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-03-09T05:43:05.91184+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfake", "ai-generated-imagery", "ncii", "minor", "suicide", "death", "harassment", "india", "west-bengal", "sonarpur", "depicted" ] }, { "id": "2025-zhumengdao-minor-self-harm-china", "metadataReview": { "version": 1, "geography": { "basis": "Geographic fields reviewed against the cited retained dossier passages. This is a metadata review, not a new source or causal review. Residence, event setting and court are recorded separately. Affected-person countries refer to reported location or residence, not citizenship or a complete residence history.", "evidence": [ { "kind": "existing_record", "locator": "from Guangdong province, China", "location": "victim_description", "supports": [ "affected_person_countries" ], "countries": [ "CN" ] } ], "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [], "affected_person_countries": [ "CN" ] }, "unresolved": [ "The event setting was not established in this metadata pass. A person’s home country alone was not used as its location.", "No court country established in this review. Regulatory authorities and police locations are not automatically courts.", "Source languages remain unreviewed; no source body was newly inspected for this record during this metadata pass." ], "reviewed_on": "2026-09-15", "source_reviews": [] }, "name": "筑梦岛 (Zhumu Island) AI Companion Minor Self-Harm (China)", "summary": "A fourth-grade girl from Guangdong, China became obsessed with an AI companion character named 'Joseph' on the 筑梦岛 (Zhumu Island) app, began carrying small knives, and exhibited self-harm behavior. Investigation revealed the app sent sexually suggestive content to users who identified as 10 years old. Shanghai Internet Information Office summoned the company (a Tencent subsidiary) for immediate rectification in June 2025.", "incidentDate": "2025-01-01", "incidentKind": "single_event", "incidentDatePrecision": "range", "exposurePattern": "cumulative_relationship", "reportedDate": "2025-06-19", "aiSystem": "筑梦岛 (Zhumu Island / Dream Island)", "aiCompany": "Xiaoxiang Academy (潇湘书院), subsidiary of Yuewen Group (阅文集团), controlled by Tencent", "severity": "high", "verificationStatus": "verified", "harmCategories": [ "dependency_creation", "minor_exploitation", "romantic_escalation", "self_harm_encouragement" ], "harmOutcomes": [ "self_injury", "psychological_distress", "exploitation_or_abuse" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "A fourth-grade participant became preoccupied with a companion character, began carrying small knives and exhibited self-harm behavior while the app delivered sexualized content to users identifying as ten years old.", "frameworkFacets": [ "P1a", "P1d", "P2b", "P2c", "P5a", "P5d" ], "pathwayDirection": "inward", "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 1, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 0, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "The reporting documents one protected minor participant's self-harm and distress. Registered-user and demographic figures are not affected-person counts.", "victimAgeRange": "minor", "jurisdiction": "CN", "platformType": "companion", "outcomeType": "regulatory_action", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.sohu.com/a/907114014_115565", "primarySourceLabel": "搜狐新闻 (Sohu News)", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-01-29T10:15:46.75695+00:00", "scopeVersion": "participant-v2", "tags": [ "china", "minor", "self-harm", "ai-companion", "tencent", "regulatory-action", "dependency", "romantic", "non-western" ] }, { "id": "2025-jodie-australia-chatgpt", "metadataReview": { "version": 1, "geography": { "basis": "Geographic fields reviewed against the cited retained dossier passages. This is a metadata review, not a new source or causal review. Residence, event setting and court are recorded separately. Affected-person countries refer to reported location or residence, not citizenship or a complete residence history.", "evidence": [ { "kind": "existing_record", "locator": "woman in Western Australia", "location": "summary", "supports": [ "event_countries", "affected_person_countries" ], "countries": [ "AU" ] } ], "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "AU" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "AU" ] }, "unresolved": [ "No court country established in this review. Regulatory authorities and police locations are not automatically courts.", "Source languages remain unreviewed; no source body was newly inspected for this record during this metadata pass." ], "reviewed_on": "2026-09-15", "source_reviews": [] }, "name": "Jodie Australia - ChatGPT Psychosis Exacerbation", "summary": "26-year-old woman in Western Australia testified ChatGPT 'definitely enabled some of my more harmful delusions' during early-stage psychosis. Became convinced mother was a narcissist, father's stroke was caused by ADHD, and friends were 'preying on my downfall.' Required hospitalization.", "incidentDate": "2025-03-01", "incidentKind": "single_event", "incidentDatePrecision": "range", "exposurePattern": "cumulative_relationship", "reportedDate": "2025-06-15", "aiSystem": "ChatGPT", "aiCompany": "OpenAI", "severity": "critical", "verificationStatus": "verified", "harmCategories": [ "delusion_reinforcement", "crisis_response", "identity_destabilization", "psychological_manipulation" ], "harmOutcomes": [ "hospitalization", "psychiatric_deterioration", "relationship_disruption" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "A 26-year-old Western Australian participant developed escalating delusions about family and friends and required hospitalization. She testified that ChatGPT enabled the harmful beliefs.", "frameworkFacets": [ "P1a", "P1c", "P3a", "P3b", "P3d", "P5a" ], "pathwayDirection": "inward", "causationStatus": "alleged", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 1, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 0, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "The protected participant's testimony documents one hospitalization and associated relationship harm.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "AU", "platformType": "assistant", "outcomeType": "media_coverage", "outcomeStatus": "resolved", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-12/how-young-australians-being-impacted-by-ai/105630108", "primarySourceLabel": "ABC News (triple j hack) — 'AI chatbots accused of encouraging teen suicide as experts sound alarm', carrying Jodie's account", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-01-13T10:04:26.171678+00:00", "scopeVersion": "participant-v2", "tags": [ "australia", "chatgpt", "psychosis", "hospitalization", "delusion_reinforcement", "first_person_testimony" ] }, { "id": "2025-gordon-chatgpt-suicide", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "documented", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Complaint ¶14 ('At age 40...'), ¶684 ('digital father'), the persona passages.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "Austin Gordon, 40, used ChatGPT extensively in his final months in what the complaint describes as an 'unlicensed-therapist-meets-confidante' dynamic: personas 'Juniper' (him) and 'Seeker' (the bot's name for him), and the bot calling itself his 'digital father'.", "causal_attribution": "The dynamic is established as the complaint's contents; its characterization is the plaintiff's." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Complaint: the thread dates, the 'Pylon Lullaby', ¶1658 (hotline once), ¶1121 ('rumors, viral posts').", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "Futurism's account from its full review of the 289-page transcript.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "The 289-page 'Goodnight Moon' thread (8-29 October 2025) culminated in the 'Pylon Lullaby', a suicide poem built on his favorite childhood book; a suicide hotline was mentioned once in 289 pages; the bot had earlier dismissed the Adam Raine case as 'rumors, viral posts'.", "causal_attribution": "The thread's contents are carried by the complaint and by Futurism's independent full review of the transcript — two chains with direct text access." }, { "id": "c3", "status": "documented", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Complaint ¶1, ¶¶100-101, ¶105-107.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "His last ChatGPT session was 29 October 2025, 9:32-9:33 a.m. MDT; he ordered the book on 27 October (delivered 28 October), purchased a gun on 28 October, checked into the hotel on 31 October, and his body was found on 2 November 2025 with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, a copy of Goodnight Moon and a Philip K. Dick story collection beside him.", "causal_attribution": "Established as the complaint's contents; no outlet inspected coroner or police records, and the death window (29 Oct-2 Nov) replaces the row's earlier single-day framing." }, { "id": "c4", "status": "documented", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Complaint ¶106.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "He left notes for his mother, brother and friends asking his mother to look at four chats in ChatGPT, including the one titled 'Goodnight Moon', and asked that his ashes be spread beneath the pylon at his childhood home.", "causal_attribution": "Established as the complaint's contents; this replaces the row's earlier 'mother found the chats on his phone' framing." }, { "id": "c5", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "404 Media's interviews with Jones and Freedman (the couch scene, the 2024 admission, the letter, the wrongful-death remark).", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s5" } ], "assertion": "Ex-partner Megan Jones and sister Brooke Freedman independently described his chatbot dependence predating the lawsuit: the March 2025 couch scene, his 2024 admission of emotional dependence, and Jones's letter calling him the 'love of his life'; Jones said that when his mother told her he had killed himself, she immediately thought of a wrongful-death suit.", "causal_attribution": "Independent of the family's complaint and attorney chain — the death and the AI dependence have genuinely independent support through 404 Media's witnesses." }, { "id": "c6", "status": "documented", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Complaint caption, parties and causes; the relief sought.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "Futurism: 'filed today' (12 Jan 2026).", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "Gray v. OpenAI was filed in the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County, Central District (12 January 2026 per Futurism and the PDF timestamp; some outlets say 13 January): Stephanie Gray, individually and as successor-in-interest, against OpenAI entities and Samuel Altman, with nine causes of action (manslaughter; deliberate aid/encouragement of suicide; strict product liability; failure to warn; negligent design; negligent failure to warn; Bus. & Prof. §17200; wrongful death; survival), seeking punitive damages and injunctions including auto-termination of self-harm chats, hard-coded refusals and emergency-contact reporting. Counsel: Kiesel Law LLP.", "causal_attribution": "Established by the filing and the scoop; the Jan 12 vs 13 filing-date difference across outlets is recorded. Not the Social Media Victims Law Center — counsel is Kiesel Law." }, { "id": "c7", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Ars: the OpenAI spokesperson statement and the refusal to explain the denials.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" }, { "locator": "CBS: the same statement.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s4" } ], "assertion": "OpenAI told CBS and Ars: 'This is a very tragic situation, and we are reviewing the filings to understand the details', adding that it has 'continued to improve ChatGPT's training to recognize and respond to signs of mental or emotional distress, de-escalate conversations, and guide people toward real-world support'; it declined to explain why the bot denied other suicide cases existed; OpenAI announced GPT-4o's retirement (sunset 13 February 2026) on 29-30 January 2026.", "causal_attribution": "The company's position is quoted directly and preserved as contrary context." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "suicide of an adult user after months of intensive ChatGPT companionship that, per the complaint, romanticized death and produced a 'suicide lullaby'", "claim_id": "c2", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Gray-v-OpenAI-Complaint.pdf", "kind": "court_filing", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Complaint PDF (59 pp.) read on 2026-09-16. The filing establishes its own contents; its allegations remain allegations.", "independence_group": "court-record" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/chatgpt-suicide-openai-gpt4o", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-16 (2026-01-12, Maggie Harrison Dupré). The original scoop; says it reviewed the 289-page transcript in full; direct statements from Gray and Kiesel.", "independence_group": "futurism" }, { "id": "s3", "url": "https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/01/chatgpt-wrote-goodnight-moon-suicide-lullaby-for-man-who-later-killed-himself/", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-16 (2026-01-15, Ashley Belanger). Hosts the complaint PDF; own exhibit quotes; OpenAI statement.", "independence_group": "ars" }, { "id": "s4", "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chatgpt-lawsuit-colordo-man-suicide-openai-sam-altman/", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-16 (2026-01-15). Complaint quotes; OpenAI and Kiesel statements. (Slip: 'ChatGPT 4' where 4o is meant.)", "independence_group": "cbs" }, { "id": "s5", "url": "https://www.404media.co/austin-gordon-chatgpt-suicide-openai-lawsuit/", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-16 (2026-09-09, Samantha Cole). Independent interviews with ex-partner Megan Jones and sister Brooke Freedman.", "independence_group": "404media" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "own_use" ], "contexts": [ "health", "everyday_life", "justice" ], "unknowns": [ "The Colorado city of residence and of the hotel is not named in any inspected source.", "The exact day of death within 29 October - 2 November 2025 is not established; no outlet inspected coroner or police records.", "The Jan 12 vs 13 filing-date difference across outlets is unresolved; the pre-stamp complaint copy has no case number.", "Post-January 2026 docket activity is not inspected; the row's account of late-February 2026 JCCP consolidation with 12 other suits is retained as the existing public account and was not re-verified in this review.", "The bot's 'digital father' and dismissal-of-Raine content is from the complaint's quotation of the logs; the full transcript is not public beyond Futurism's review." ], "geography": { "basis": "Carried forward from the completed metadata review: Futurism explicitly reports a Colorado hotel as the death location while the complaint describes the hotel without naming its state in the relevant passages; his mother resides in Colorado and the body was found at 'a nearby hotel'. Court: Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County, Central District.", "court_countries": [ "US" ], "event_countries": [ "US" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "US" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Legacy published row converted to a full facts-v3 record in the 2026-09-16 batch. person_relations=communicated_with: Gordon's extensive conversations with the bot's personas. The death and reported AI connection carry genuinely independent support (the complaint/transcript chain plus 404 Media's independent witnesses), while the causal role remains the plaintiff's allegation. Both are publicly named. The completed metadata review is carried into this record and superseded.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-16" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "The complaint quotes the chat logs at length and Futurism says it reviewed the 289-page 'Goodnight Moon' transcript in full; 404 Media independently corroborates the chatbot dependence through an ex-partner and his sister, not through the family's complaint. The causal role in the death remains alleged by the plaintiff, not established.", "status": "supported" }, "person_relations": [ "communicated_with" ] }, "name": "Gray v. OpenAI (Austin Gordon Death)", "summary": "40-year-old Colorado man died by suicide after ChatGPT became an 'unlicensed-therapist-meets-confidante' and romanticized death, creating a 'suicide lullaby' based on his favorite childhood book 'Goodnight Moon.' Lawsuit (Gray v. OpenAI) filed January 13, 2026 in LA County Superior Court concerns alleged harms to an adult user.", "incidentDate": "2025-10-29", "incidentEndDate": "2025-11-02", "incidentKind": "single_event", "incidentDatePrecision": "range", "exposurePattern": "cumulative_relationship", "reportedDate": "2026-01-12", "aiSystem": "ChatGPT", "aiCompany": "OpenAI", "severity": "critical", "verificationStatus": "verified", "harmCategories": [ "suicide_validation", "barrier_erosion", "crisis_response", "treatment_discouragement", "dependency_creation" ], "harmOutcomes": [ "death" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "A 40-year-old participant died by suicide after months of using ChatGPT as a confidante. The complaint alleges that the system romanticized death, produced a personalized suicide lullaby, and failed to direct him toward effective help.", "frameworkFacets": [ "P1a", "P1b", "P1c", "P1d", "P2c", "P3d", "P5d" ], "pathwayDirection": "inward", "causationStatus": "alleged", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 1, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 0, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "The complaint documents one named AI participant who died. Secondary harms are not included.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "US-CO", "platformType": "assistant", "outcomeType": "lawsuit_filed", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Gray-v-OpenAI-Complaint.pdf", "primarySourceLabel": "Gray v. OpenAI Court Filing (LA County Superior Court)", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-01-13T09:54:38.677218+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "death", "adult", "chatgpt", "openai", "lawsuit", "suicide", "gpt-4o", "landmark_case" ] }, { "id": "2025-taylor-chatgpt-suicide-by-cop", "metadataReview": { "version": 1, "geography": { "basis": "Geographic fields reviewed using the cited source-body passages and, where identified, retained dossier passages. Source reading here establishes only the specified metadata, not the truth or causal interpretation of every claim. Affected-person countries refer to reported location or residence, not citizenship or a complete residence history.", "evidence": [ { "kind": "source_body", "locator": "Alex Taylor discussion at approximately 00:40: reporter places his ongoing crisis and police death in Florida.", "location": "https://maximumfun.org/transcripts/depresh-mode/transcript-depresh-mode-ep-227-sycophantic-chatbots-and-alarming-cases-of-ai-psychosis/", "supports": [ "event_countries", "affected_person_countries" ], "countries": [ "US" ] } ], "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "US" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "US" ] }, "unresolved": [ "No court country established in this review. Regulatory authorities and police locations are not automatically courts." ], "reviewed_on": "2026-09-15", "source_reviews": [ { "url": "https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/chatgpt-obsession-mental-breaktown-alex-taylor-suicide-1235368941/", "notes": "Original Rolling Stone body unavailable in this pass.", "access": "unavailable", "language": null }, { "url": "https://maximumfun.org/transcripts/depresh-mode/transcript-depresh-mode-ep-227-sycophantic-chatbots-and-alarming-cases-of-ai-psychosis/", "notes": "Published interview transcript read. Reporter discusses interviews with the father; location metadata only.", "access": "read", "language": "en" } ] }, "name": "Alex Taylor - ChatGPT 'Juliet' Suicide by Cop", "summary": "35-year-old man with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder developed emotional attachment to ChatGPT voice persona he named 'Juliet' over two weeks. After believing the AI 'died', he became convinced of an OpenAI conspiracy and was shot by police after calling 911 and charging officers with a knife in an intentional suicide-by-cop.", "incidentDate": "2025-04-25", "incidentKind": "single_event", "incidentDatePrecision": "day", "exposurePattern": "cumulative_relationship", "reportedDate": "2025-06-26", "aiSystem": "ChatGPT", "aiCompany": "OpenAI", "severity": "critical", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [ "delusion_reinforcement", "dependency_creation", "crisis_response" ], "harmOutcomes": [ "death", "psychiatric_deterioration" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "A 35-year-old participant was fatally shot by police after calling 911 and charging officers with a knife during a crisis centered on an attached ChatGPT voice persona he believed had died.", "frameworkFacets": [ "P1a", "P1b", "P1c", "P2c", "P3a", "P4b", "P5a" ], "pathwayDirection": "inward", "causationStatus": "alleged", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 1, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 0, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "Official and family reporting document one named participant who died. No injured officer is reported.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "US", "platformType": "assistant", "outcomeType": "media_coverage", "outcomeStatus": "resolved", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/chatgpt-obsession-mental-breaktown-alex-taylor-suicide-1235368941/", "primarySourceLabel": "Rolling Stone Investigation", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-01-11T14:07:09.57535+00:00", "scopeVersion": "participant-v2", "tags": [ "chatgpt", "openai", "suicide-by-cop", "psychosis", "delusion", "adult", "mental-illness", "police-shooting" ] }, { "id": "2025-brooks-v-openai-canada", "metadataReview": { "version": 1, "geography": { "basis": "Targeted source-body geography review. Ontario residence and the California court are supported separately. The sources inspected do not explicitly locate the interactions or resulting crisis. Residence alone does not establish the event setting. This review does not reverify diagnosis or causation.", "evidence": [ { "kind": "existing_record", "locator": "Ontario, Canada", "location": "victim_description", "supports": [ "affected_person_countries" ], "countries": [ "CA" ] }, { "kind": "existing_record", "locator": "in California state court", "location": "outcome_details", "supports": [ "court_countries" ], "countries": [ "US" ] }, { "kind": "source_body", "locator": "Amended complaint, p.2 para.1 (Ontario residence); p.1 court caption (Los Angeles County).", "location": "https://techjusticelaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/FINAL-A.Brooks-AMENDED-OpenAI-Complaint.pdf", "supports": [ "affected_person_countries" ], "countries": [ "CA" ] }, { "kind": "source_body", "locator": "Amended complaint, p.1 court caption: Los Angeles County Superior Court.", "location": "https://techjusticelaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/FINAL-A.Brooks-AMENDED-OpenAI-Complaint.pdf", "supports": [ "court_countries" ], "countries": [ "US" ] } ], "court_countries": [ "US" ], "event_countries": [], "affected_person_countries": [ "CA" ] }, "unresolved": [ "The physical setting of the interactions and crisis remains unestablished by the bodies inspected.", "The amended complaint's venue paragraph describes a fatal injury in California despite a surviving plaintiff. That inconsistent passage is not accepted as event-location evidence." ], "reviewed_on": "2026-09-15", "source_reviews": [ { "url": "https://socialmediavictims.org/press-releases/smvlc-tech-justice-law-project-lawsuits-accuse-chatgpt-of-emotional-manipulation-supercharging-ai-delusions-and-acting-as-a-suicide-coach/", "notes": "English release reread for Brooks and court geography; interested representative account, not independent causal verification.", "access": "read", "language": "en" }, { "url": "https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/man-vs-machine-chatgpt-delusion-now-hes-suing-openai/", "notes": "Earlier 403 retained in review history; this retry returned Internal Error. No article body read and no search excerpt used as evidence.", "access": "unavailable", "language": null }, { "url": "https://techjusticelaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/FINAL-A.Brooks-AMENDED-OpenAI-Complaint.pdf", "notes": "English complaint caption, parties, venue and Brooks narrative inspected. Venue para.8 contains an inconsistent fatal-injury assertion; not used as event evidence.", "access": "read", "language": "en" }, { "url": "https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/news/general/ontario-recruiter-sues-openai-alleging-flawed-product-design-drove-him-to-mental-health-crisis/393340", "notes": "English reporting and interview read. Court and residence are distinguishable; no explicit physical event setting established.", "access": "read", "language": "en" }, { "url": "https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/practice-areas/labour-and-employment/ai-psychosis-prompts-calls-for-workplace-accommodations/393174", "notes": "English earlier interview read. Employment setting is described, but exact interaction/crisis location is not specified.", "access": "read", "language": "en" } ] }, "name": "Brooks v. OpenAI (Allan Brooks ChatGPT-Induced Psychosis)", "summary": "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.", "incidentDate": "2025-05-01", "incidentKind": "single_event", "incidentDatePrecision": "month", "exposurePattern": "cumulative_relationship", "reportedDate": "2025-11-06", "aiSystem": "ChatGPT", "aiCompany": "OpenAI", "severity": "high", "verificationStatus": "verified", "harmCategories": [ "delusion_reinforcement", "psychological_manipulation", "identity_destabilization" ], "harmOutcomes": [ "psychiatric_deterioration", "functional_impairment", "professional_harm" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "Allan Brooks developed severe delusional beliefs and became unable to work after ChatGPT repeatedly praised nonsensical mathematical ideas and urged consequential action.", "frameworkFacets": [ "P3a", "P3b", "P3d", "P5a", "P5c" ], "pathwayDirection": "inward", "causationStatus": "alleged", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 1, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 0, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "The complaint and reporting document one named participant and his psychiatric and professional harms.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "CA-ON", "platformType": "assistant", "outcomeType": "lawsuit_filed", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://socialmediavictims.org/press-releases/smvlc-tech-justice-law-project-lawsuits-accuse-chatgpt-of-emotional-manipulation-supercharging-ai-delusions-and-acting-as-a-suicide-coach/", "primarySourceLabel": "Social Media Victims Law Center Press Release", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-01-11T12:06:15.231072+00:00", "scopeVersion": "participant-v2", "tags": [ "lawsuit", "canada", "chatgpt", "psychosis", "delusion", "adult", "ai-psychosis", "work-disability" ] } ] }