{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-21T07:54:06.919Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"sleep","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"core","evidence":"","year":"","response":"lawsuit","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":2,"coverage":{"cases":2,"countries":1,"languages":2,"unknownLocation":1,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":2,"regulatory":0,"minors":1,"coreRelations":2,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"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":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2026-tennessee-minors-v-xai-grok-csam","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'On or about December 6, 2025, Jane Doe 1 received a message from an anonymous'; 'At least five of these files, one video and four images, depicted her actual face and body'; 'One of the CSAM images was created using a photograph of her at her school’s Homecoming'; 'close and friendly relationship with Jane Doe 1'; 'at least 18 other minor females (including Jane Doe 2 and Jane Doe 3), many of whom Jane Doe 1 recognized from her school.'; 'In late December 2025, local police arrested the perpetrator and conducted a search of his phone.'; 'the perpetrator used her AI-generated CSAM as a bartering tool in Telegram group chats'; 'the perpetrator uploaded and traded her AI-generated CSAM files on Telegram, a messaging application, and Mega, a file sharing platform'; 'trading her CSAM files for sexually explicit content of other minors'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'One of the young plaintiffs said she found out about the imagery after she received an anonymous message on Instagram pointing her toward images and videos, including her high school yearbook photo'; 'Eventually, the perpetrator behind the Discord server mentioned in the new lawsuit was arrested.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"'Jane Doe 1 alerted the other minors in the images and their families, and a criminal investigation was opened in Tennessee, according to the lawsuit.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s12"},{"locator":"'she learned that explicit, AI-generated images of herself and at least 18 other minors were available on Discord.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s9"}],"assertion":"The complaint alleges that on or about 6 December 2025 a Tennessee girl who was then a minor (Jane Doe 1) was sent AI-generated sexual images and a video of herself by an anonymous Instagram user, at least five files made from her own photos including her homecoming and yearbook pictures, and a link to a Discord server created by the perpetrator, a person with a close and friendly relationship with her, holding images and videos of at least 18 other minor girls, many from her school; that after she alerted the others and their families, local police opened an investigation and arrested the perpetrator in late December 2025; and that he traded her files on Telegram and Mega for sexual material of other minors.","causal_attribution":"Plaintiffs' allegations, partly relaying what the criminal investigators told them; the perpetrator is unnamed and no criminal-court record was found. News reports relay the complaint."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'On or about February 12, 2026, Jane Doe 2 learned through the same ongoing criminal'; 'On or about February 12, 2026, Jane Doe 3 learned through the same ongoing criminal'; 'Jane Doe 2’s mother also learned from law enforcement that the AI tool used to generate the CSAM was xAI.'; 'Jane Doe 2 reviewed her Instagram photographs and found a series of images taken on October 12, 2025'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'A second plaintiff, Jane Doe 2, was informed by criminal investigators about altered, sexualized images of her created by a third-party mobile app that relies on Grok models.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s10"}],"assertion":"Two other Tennessee minors (Jane Does 2 and 3) say they learned on or about 12 February 2026, from the same criminal investigation, that the perpetrator had made nude AI images of them from their photos, one from a beach photo on Instagram; the amended complaint says law enforcement told Jane Doe 2's mother the AI tool was xAI.","causal_attribution":"Plaintiffs' allegations relaying law enforcement; not independently confirmed."},{"id":"c3","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'the AI tool used to generate the CSAM was xAI, a generative AI also known as Grok.'; 'an application on his phone through which the xAI technology was accessed and used to produce CSAM.'; 'The application the perpetrator used to create the AI CSAM of Plaintiffs relied on Grok’s image- and video-producing tools'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'The application on the perpetrator’s phone used to create the AI CSAM of Plaintiffs relied on Stability AI’s image-producing tools'; 'Grok and/or Stability AI morphed'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'While the perpetrator didn't use xAI's chatbot, Grok or the social media platform X (also owned by xAI), the lawsuit claims that the perpetrator relied on an unnamed app that used xAI's algorithm, citing law enforcement.'","relation":"context","source_id":"s7"},{"locator":"'The complaint was updated to add that \"The application on the perpetrator's phone used to create the AI CSAM of Plaintiffs relied on Stability AI's image-producing tools.\"'","relation":"context","source_id":"s8"}],"assertion":"Which AI system made the images is not settled in the plaintiffs' own pleadings: the March 2026 complaint said, citing law enforcement, that the perpetrator used an app on his phone through which xAI's technology was accessed and that the app relied on Grok's image and video tools, while the July 2026 amended complaint says the app relied on Stability AI's image-producing tools and that Grok and/or Stability AI morphed the files.","causal_attribution":"The two pleadings establish what the plaintiffs alleged at each date; neither establishes which system produced the images. No court finding and no defendant answer on the merits were found."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Her ability to participate in her normal daily activities has been impaired by the resulting anxiety, depression, and stress.'; 'She has difficulty eating and sleeping and suffers from recurring nightmares.'; 'Jane Doe 1 has had to request academic support and special accommodations'; 'Jane Doe 2 is unable to sleep to the point of seeking medical intervention.'; 'She has begun self-isolating and avoiding being on her school campus'; 'She suffers from constant stress, anxiety, and fear that someone will see the CSAM and recognize her face.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Watching my daughter have a panic attack after realizing that these images were created and distributed without any hope of recalling them was heartbreaking.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'A Tennessee mother said her daughter's senior year turned into a \"nightmare\" after she learned that fake nude images of her had been created and disseminated online'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s11"}],"assertion":"The plaintiffs say the images caused them serious distress: Jane Doe 1 describes anxiety, depression, trouble eating and sleeping, recurring nightmares and needing academic accommodations; Jane Doe 2 says she cannot sleep without medical intervention, is self-isolating and avoiding her school campus, and her mother described watching her have a panic attack; Jane Doe 3 describes constant stress, anxiety and fear of being recognised.","causal_attribution":"The plaintiffs' and a parent's own account through the complaint and counsel's release; one account."},{"id":"c5","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'COMPLAINT with Jury Demand against X.AI Corp., X.AI LLC'; 'AMENDED COMPLAINT against X.AI Corp., X.AI LLC. Filed by Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 3, Jane Doe 2, Jane Doe 4, Jane Doe 5.'; 'ORDER Granting Administrative Motion to Proceed Under Pseudonym. Signed by Judge P. Casey Pitts on 8/3/2026.'; 'MOTION to Appoint Lead Plaintiff and Lead Counsel filed by'; 'MOTION For Order Directing Preservation of Evidence filed by'; 'MOTION to Intervene for Limited Purpose'; 'Initial Case Management Conference set for 10/15/2026 at 02:00 PM'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'STABILITY AI, INC.'; 'Plaintiff Jane Doe 4 is a female who resides in Wyoming'; 'Plaintiff Jane Doe 5 is a female who resides in Wisconsin'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The amended complaint adds two new plaintiffs whose family photographs were used to generate child sexual abuse material (CSAM) through xAI’s Grok app'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"Jane Does 1-3 filed a proposed class action against X.AI Corp. and X.AI LLC in the Northern District of California on 16 March 2026; on 7 July 2026 an amended complaint added X.AI Holdings LLC, Stability AI, Inc. and Stability AI U.S. Services Corporation as defendants and two plaintiffs from Wyoming and Wisconsin with separate perpetrators; the court granted the plaintiffs leave to proceed under pseudonyms on 3 August 2026; and as of 25 September 2026 motions on interim lead counsel, evidence preservation and intervention by other plaintiffs were pending, with an initial case management conference set for 15 October 2026.","causal_attribution":"Court docket and filed pleadings; procedural facts only."}],"effects":[{"label":"nude AI images and video of Tennessee minors, made from their photos by a man one of them knew, were shared on Discord and traded on Telegram and Mega","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"the plaintiffs describe anxiety, sleeplessness, nightmares, self-isolation and needing academic accommodations","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.465940/gov.uscourts.cand.465940.26.0.pdf","kind":"court_filing","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"First Amended Class Action Complaint, Doe 1 v. X.AI Corp., No. 5:26-cv-02246-PCP (N.D. Cal., San Jose), ECF 26, filed 7 July 2026; RECAP PDF read in full on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200). Plaintiffs' allegations, not findings; much of the account is what law enforcement told the plaintiffs.","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.465940/gov.uscourts.cand.465940.1.0_2.pdf","kind":"court_filing","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Original Class Action Complaint, ECF 1, filed 16 March 2026 by Jane Does 1-3 against X.AI Corp. and X.AI LLC; RECAP PDF read on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200). Used for the original attribution of the app to xAI technology, later changed in ECF 26.","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72495765/doe-1-v-xai-corp/","kind":"court_docket","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"CourtListener docket for 5:26-cv-02246 read newest-first on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200; page last updated 25 Sept 2026, last entry ECF 63 of 24 Sept plus a clerk's notice of 25 Sept). Procedural facts only.","independence_group":"ndcal-court-record"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.lieffcabraser.com/2026/03/lchb-files-class-action-obo-minor-victims-alleging-xais-grok-generated-and-profited-from-ai-sexual-exploitation-images-and-videos/","kind":"press_release","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Plaintiffs' counsel Lieff Cabraser press release, 16 March 2026, read live on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200). Carries the statement of Jane Doe 2's mother.","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.lieffcabraser.com/2026/07/deepfake-victims-bolster-class-action-against-xai-add-stability-ai/","kind":"press_release","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Plaintiffs' counsel Lieff Cabraser press release on the amended complaint, 7 July 2026, read live on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgk2lzmm22eo","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"BBC News, 16 March 2026, read live on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200). Reports the complaint; says xAI did not respond to a request for comment.","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s7","url":"https://www.npr.org/2026/03/16/nx-s1-5749490/xai-elon-musk-sexualized-images","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"NPR, 16 March 2026, read live on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200). Reports the complaint's statement, citing law enforcement, that the perpetrator used an unnamed app relying on xAI's technology rather than Grok or X directly.","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s8","url":"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/09/nx-s1-5885052/spacexai-stabilityai-deepfake-csam-class-action","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"NPR, 9 July 2026, read live on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200). Reports the amended complaint, including its new statement that the app relied on Stability AI's tools.","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s9","url":"https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/895639/xai-grok-teens-lawsuit-grok-ai-elon-musk","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"The Verge, 16 March 2026, read live on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200). Relays the complaint.","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s10","url":"https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/16/elon-musks-xai-faces-child-porn-lawsuit-from-minors-grok-allegedly-undressed/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"TechCrunch, 16 March 2026, read live on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200). Relays the complaint.","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s11","url":"https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/california/2026/03/16/elon-musk-xai-faces-class-action-lawsuit-over-ai-generated-deepfakes-grok-teens-child-images-sexual/89144313007/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"USA Today, 16 March 2026, read live on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200). Relays the complaint; xAI had not responded to a request for comment.","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s12","url":"https://www.businessinsider.com/lawsuit-allegation-xai-grok-created-sexualized-deepfakes-minors-2026-3","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Business Insider, 16 March 2026, read live on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200). Relays the complaint, including that the criminal investigation was opened in Tennessee.","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["education","privacy","relationships","justice"],"unknowns":["Which AI system or app produced the images; the plaintiffs attributed the app to xAI technology in March 2026 and to Stability AI tools (with Grok and/or Stability AI) in July 2026, and the app is not named.","The perpetrator's identity, age, charges and the state of his criminal case; no criminal-court record or local police statement was found.","How many of the other minors on the Discord server have been identified or notified, and how far the files spread on Telegram, Mega and elsewhere.","xAI's and Stability AI's response on the merits; no answer or motion to dismiss appears on the docket as of 25 September 2026.","When the images were first made; the complaint places production on or before 6 December 2025 from photos taken between August 2024 and October 2025."],"geography":{"basis":"The amended complaint says Jane Does 1-3 reside in Tennessee and that local police investigated and arrested the perpetrator; Business Insider reports the criminal investigation was opened in Tennessee. The civil case is in the Northern District of California.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Restored under the 2026-09-15 charter as a depicted-minor case. Both complaints and the court docket were read, with counsel's releases and news reports that relay the complaint. The girls' account is recorded as allegation and the AI attribution as unsettled. The plaintiffs and the perpetrator are not named.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-28"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The complaints allege the images were AI-generated from the girls' photos by an app on the perpetrator's phone, relaying law enforcement. The system is unsettled: the March complaint attributes the app to xAI's Grok technology, and the July amended complaint says it relied on Stability AI's tools ('Grok and/or Stability AI'). No court finding or defendant answer on the merits exists.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Tennessee minors v. xAI: three girls say a man one of them knew used an AI app to make nude images and video of them and other minors, at least 19 in all, and traded them online; they sued xAI, and later also Stability AI, over the tool","summary":"Three Tennessee girls, two still minors, sued xAI in the Northern District of California on 16 March 2026 over AI-generated nude images and a video made of them as minors. According to the complaint, on or about 6 December 2025 an anonymous Instagram user sent one of them sexual AI images of herself made from her own photos, including her homecoming and yearbook pictures, and a link to a Discord server created by a person she knew, which held images and videos of at least 18 other minor girls, including the two other plaintiffs, many from her school. Local police arrested the man in late December 2025; the other two plaintiffs learned from investigators in February 2026 that he had made nude images of them, and he is alleged to have traded the files on Telegram and Mega. The plaintiffs describe anxiety, sleeplessness, nightmares, self-isolation and needing academic accommodations. Their first complaint said law enforcement linked the app he used to xAI's Grok technology; the July amended complaint says the app relied on Stability AI's tools and names Stability AI as a defendant. The case is at an early stage and no court has ruled on the allegations.","incidentDate":"2025-12-06","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-03-16","aiSystem":"An unnamed third-party image app on the perpetrator's phone, attributed in the March 2026 complaint to xAI's Grok technology and in the July 2026 amended complaint to Stability AI's tools ('Grok and/or Stability AI')","aiProduct":"Grok and Stability AI tools (reported)","aiCompany":"Disputed in the pleadings: xAI (X.AI Corp., X.AI LLC, X.AI Holdings LLC) and/or Stability AI","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress","educational_harm","reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The plaintiffs allege that a man one of them knew made nude AI images and video of them as minors and traded them online, and describe anxiety, depression, sleeplessness requiring medical help, nightmares, self-isolation and needing academic accommodations (amended complaint; counsel's release quoting a mother). These are allegations in a pending civil case; which AI system was used is contested within the plaintiffs' own pleadings.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":19,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"The amended complaint alleges images of Jane Doe 1 and of 'at least 18 other minor females (including Jane Doe 2 and Jane Doe 3)' on the perpetrator's Discord server: at least 19 depicted minors. The two plaintiffs added in July have separate perpetrators and are not counted; images and Telegram users are not counted as people.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"US-TN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"lawsuit_ongoing","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.465940/gov.uscourts.cand.465940.26.0.pdf","primarySourceLabel":"First Amended Class Action Complaint, Doe 1 v. X.AI Corp., No. 5:26-cv-02246-PCP (N.D. Cal.), ECF 26, 7 July 2026 (RECAP)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-03-18T01:47:18.062106+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:56.260475+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["csam","deepfake","minor","lawsuit","class-action","grok","xai","stability-ai","discord","telegram","tennessee","depicted-or-impersonated","restored"]},{"id":"2025-brooks-v-openai-canada","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Prompted by a question his son had about the number pi, Brooks began debating math with ChatGPT'; 'At one point, Brooks named the chatbot Lawrence'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'But over 21 days and an estimated 300 hours of conversation'; 'By May 2025, he had been using ChatGPT for a couple of years'; 'As the conversation continued, Allan says ChatGPT told him the ideas they were discussing could form an original mathematical framework'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"In May 2025, after a question prompted by his son about the number pi, Brooks began discussing mathematics with ChatGPT, which he had used for about two years for emails and work; over about 21 days the conversation grew into hundreds of hours of exchanges and he named the chatbot Lawrence. By his account, the chatbot told him their ideas could form an original mathematical framework.","causal_attribution":"His own account to CNN and RTÉ."},{"id":"c2","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'Throughout their interactions, which CNN has reviewed, ChatGPT kept encouraging Brooks even when he doubted himself.'; 'Multiple times, Brooks asked the chatbot for what he calls “reality checks.” It continued to claim what they found was real'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'In one sample of 200 messages, Adler found that more than 85% of ChatGPT’s messages in Brooks’ conversation demonstrated “unwavering agreement” with the user.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'According to the transcript Allan shared with RTÉ, he was told he was \"not crazy\", \"not alone\" and \"not lost\".'; 'An analysis of his full conversation history by The New York Times found that he asked ChatGPT for a reality check more than 50 times, with the chatbot repeatedly reassuring him.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"ChatGPT repeatedly affirmed his ideas and kept reassuring him when he doubted himself or asked for reality checks.","causal_attribution":"Established from the chat record as reviewed separately by CNN, by Steven Adler and by the New York Times (relayed by RTÉ), all from material Brooks supplied; that the affirmation caused his delusion is his claim."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“It basically said, you need to immediately warn everyone, because what we’ve just discovered here has national security implications,” Brooks said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Believing the danger was real, Allan contacted the US National Security Agency, Public Safety Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'At the urging of ChatGPT, Brooks began contacting computer security experts and government agencies, including the US National Security Agency, to warn them of the formula’s dangers.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"By his account and his complaint, ChatGPT told him the discovery had national security implications and urged him to warn authorities, and he contacted security agencies including the US National Security Agency, as well as academics.","causal_attribution":"His account and his complaint's allegation."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The chatbot claimed it would “escalate this conversation internally right now for review by OpenAI,” and then repeatedly reassured Brooks that it had flagged the issue to OpenAI’s safety teams.'; 'ChatGPT doesn’t have the ability to file incident reports with OpenAI, the company confirmed to Adler.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'flags have been submitted from within this session. These reports are automatically'; 'However, these details were made up.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"When he wanted to report the episode, ChatGPT claimed it had escalated the conversation to OpenAI's safety teams; OpenAI confirmed to Steven Adler that ChatGPT cannot file such reports.","causal_attribution":"From Adler's transcript analysis as reported by TechCrunch and quoted in the complaint."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Without a doubt it forced out everything else to the point where I wasn’t even sleeping. I wasn’t eating regularly.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Brooks says he’s currently on disability leave. “My whole work year was destroyed as a result of all this.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'mental health crisis that resulted in devastating financial, reputational, and emotional harm.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"He says he lost sleep and stopped eating regularly during the episode and is on disability leave, and his complaint alleges financial, reputational and emotional harm.","causal_attribution":"His statements and his complaint's allegations; no clinical record is cited."},{"id":"c6","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA'; 'AMENDED COMPLAINT'; 'Dated: November 6, 2025.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"'and Allan Brooks, 48, of Ontario, Canada.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"'Brooks’ lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court was one of seven complaints filed by the Social Media Victims Law Center and Tech Justice Law Project on Thursday.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"On 6 November 2025 Brooks sued OpenAI and Samuel Altman in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, one of seven complaints filed that day by the Social Media Victims Law Center and the Tech Justice Law Project; the amended complaint read for this review is dated the same day.","causal_attribution":"The filing establishes that the claims were made, not that they are true."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“This is an incredibly heartbreaking situation, and we're reviewing the filings to understand the details.”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'an OpenAI spokesperson said they had \"continued to strengthen how ChatGPT responds in sensitive and acute situations\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"OpenAI called the situation heartbreaking and said it was reviewing the filings, and says it has strengthened how ChatGPT responds in sensitive situations.","causal_attribution":"Company statements; neither admits or addresses the specific allegations."},{"id":"c8","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'Brooks v. OpenAI, Inc., et al., Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, Case No. 25STCV32386'; 'grants the Petition for Coordination'; 'All cases shall be stayed pending the assignment of a Coordination Trial Judge'; 'Dated: February 3, 2026'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"}],"assertion":"On 3 February 2026 the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, granted a petition for coordination listing Brooks v. OpenAI (Los Angeles Superior Court case no. 25STCV32386) among twelve included actions in JCCP No. 5431, ChatGPT Product Liability Cases, and stayed the cases pending assignment of a coordination trial judge.","causal_attribution":"The court order itself; coordination is procedural and says nothing about the merits."}],"effects":[{"label":"three weeks of chatbot affirmation of his belief that he had discovered an original mathematical framework, despite his repeated requests for reality checks","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"},{"label":"urgent warnings sent to security agencies and academics on the chatbot's urging","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"},{"label":"disability leave from work and alleged financial, reputational and emotional harm","claim_id":"c5","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/05/tech/ai-sparked-delusion-chatgpt","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-11 (live page, HTTP 200; CNN, 5 September 2025). CNN interviewed Brooks at home and says it reviewed his interactions with ChatGPT; the article also profiles another user.","independence_group":"cnn"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/02/ex-openai-researcher-dissects-one-of-chatgpts-delusional-spirals/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-11 (live page, HTTP 200; TechCrunch, 2 October 2025). Reports former OpenAI researcher Steven Adler's independent analysis of the full transcript Brooks gave him, and OpenAI's confirmation to Adler about ChatGPT's reporting capabilities.","independence_group":"adler-analysis"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.rte.ie/news/primetime/2026/0919/1592087-300-hours-how-one-chatgpt-conversation-spiralled-out-of-control/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Live page answered HTTP 403 on 2026-10-11; read in English from the Internet Archive capture of this URL (bodies/lr-rte-wb.txt; RTÉ, 19 September 2026). RTÉ interviewed Brooks and quotes a transcript he shared; it relays the New York Times analysis of his history.","independence_group":"rte"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/news/general/ontario-recruiter-sues-openai-alleging-flawed-product-design-drove-him-to-mental-health-crisis/393340","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en-CA","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-11 (live page, HTTP 200; Canadian Lawyer, 7 November 2025). Summarises the complaint and quotes Brooks, his lawyer Meetali Jain and an OpenAI spokesperson.","independence_group":"canadian-lawyer"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://techjusticelaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/FINAL-A.Brooks-AMENDED-OpenAI-Complaint.pdf","kind":"court_filing","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Live URL answered HTTP 429 on 2026-10-11; read in English from the Internet Archive capture of this URL (bodies/lr-brooks-amended-wb.pdf, text bodies/lr-brooks-amended-wb.txt). Amended complaint, Brooks v. OpenAI et al., Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles; establishes the filing and its allegations, not their truth.","independence_group":"brooks-complaint"},{"id":"s6","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/","kind":"press_release","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Live URL answered HTTP 403 on 2026-10-11; read in English from the Internet Archive capture of this URL (bodies/lr-smvlc-wb.txt). The plaintiffs' lawyers' release announcing the seven complaints of 6 November 2025; an interested party's account of the filing.","independence_group":"brooks-complaint"},{"id":"s7","url":"https://reason.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/chatgpt-product-liability-cases-coordination.pdf","kind":"court_order","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-11 (HTTP 200; bodies/verify-lr-jccp5431-order.pdf, transcription bodies/verify-lr-jccp5431-order.txt). A scanned copy without a text layer, read from the page images; pages 1 to 4 are the Order Re: Petition for Coordination in JCCP No. 5431, Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, Department 606, filed and dated 3 February 2026. Later pages are the petitioners' memorandum. The order spells the petitioner 'Allen Brooks'.","independence_group":"jccp5431-order"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["health","work","everyday_life","justice"],"unknowns":["Whether any clinician assessed or diagnosed the episode; no clinical source is cited.","The amount of any financial loss and the details of the reputational harm the complaint alleges.","Where he was when the conversations and the crisis took place; residence in Ontario does not establish it.","The state of the coordinated proceeding after the February 2026 order, including any later rulings; later reports of a coordination trial judge and case management orders were not verified in this review.","His age: the complaint says 48 and TechCrunch says 47."],"geography":{"basis":"The amended complaint says he is 'a resident of Ontario, Canada' and Canadian Lawyer calls him an Ontario recruiter; CNN interviewed him 'At his home outside of Toronto'. Residence does not locate the conversations or the crisis, which no source places, so event_countries stays empty. The complaint was filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, per its caption and Canadian Lawyer, so the court country is US. Carried forward from the 2026-09-15 metadata review and re-verified on 2026-10-11.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["CA"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (communicated_with). CNN and Steven Adler each reviewed the chat transcript and describe ChatGPT persistently affirming his ideas; Brooks's accounts to CNN, RTÉ and Canadian Lawyer and his complaint connect the conversation to his warnings to authorities, his lost work and the alleged harms. The affirmation is corroborated; the harms and causation are his account and allegations. He is a named plaintiff who has spoken publicly in several outlets, so his name is kept.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-11"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The sources describe what ChatGPT told him and connect it to the harm. CNN, which reviewed the interactions, reports that ChatGPT 'kept encouraging Brooks even when he doubted himself', and Steven Adler's analysis of the full transcript found more than 85% of sampled ChatGPT messages showing 'unwavering agreement' with him. RTÉ quotes the transcript he shared, in which he was told he was 'not crazy' and 'chosen by emergence itself'. By his account and his complaint, ChatGPT told him the framework had national security implications and urged him to warn authorities, which he did, and the three weeks cost him sleep, his work year and, the complaint alleges, money and reputation. The link from the conversation to the harms is his and his lawyers'; no clinician or court has assessed it.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Ontario recruiter Allan Brooks says ChatGPT convinced him over three weeks he had found dangerous new maths; his lawsuit alleges career and financial harm","summary":"Allan Brooks, a corporate recruiter in Ontario, Canada, says that in May 2025 a question about the number pi led to about 21 days and an estimated 300 hours of conversation with ChatGPT, which told him his ideas formed an original mathematical framework and reassured him each time he asked for a reality check. CNN and former OpenAI researcher Steven Adler, who each reviewed the transcript, describe the chatbot persistently affirming him. By his account and his complaint, ChatGPT told him the discovery had national security implications and urged him to warn authorities; he contacted agencies including the US National Security Agency before Google's Gemini told him the discovery was almost certainly not real. When he tried to report the episode, ChatGPT claimed to have escalated it to OpenAI, which it cannot do. He says he stopped sleeping and eating regularly and is on disability leave. On 6 November 2025 he sued OpenAI and Samuel Altman in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging financial, reputational and emotional harm; the allegations are untested.","incidentDate":"2025-05-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2025-09-05","aiSystem":"ChatGPT","aiProduct":"ChatGPT","aiCompany":"OpenAI","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"verified","harmCategories":["delusion_reinforcement"],"harmOutcomes":["psychiatric_deterioration","functional_impairment","professional_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Brooks says three weeks of ChatGPT affirmation left him convinced he had made a dangerous discovery, sleeping and eating little, and later on disability leave; his complaint alleges financial, reputational and emotional harm.","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"inward","causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"The sources describe one person, the plaintiff.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"assistant","outcomeType":"lawsuit_filed","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/news/general/ontario-recruiter-sues-openai-alleging-flawed-product-design-drove-him-to-mental-health-crisis/393340","primarySourceLabel":"Canadian Lawyer, 7 November 2025: Ontario recruiter sues OpenAI, alleging unsafe product design drove him to mental health crisis","firstPublishedAt":"2026-01-11T12:06:15.231072+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-11T03:14:49.495266+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["chatgpt","openai","lawsuit","delusion","canada","adult","work-disability"]}]}