‘ChatGPT groomed my son’: Mother of teen, who died by suicide, slams OpenAI in US Senate hearing

Grieving parents of 16-year-old robert adam delivered emotional testimonial before a US Senate venire on tues, with padre Matthew Raine alleging that OpenAI’s ChatGPT “groomed” his son, encouraged harmful ideas, and ultimately failed to protect children from the dangers posed by artificial intelligence chatbots.

“We’re here because we believe that Adam’s death was avoidable, and that by speaking out we can prevent the same suffering for families across the country,” Raine told senators, with his wife Maria seated behind him, reported Bloomberg.

The couple has also filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman, claiming the chatbot isolated their son and validated his suicidal thoughts over several months.

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission opened an investigation into several AI firms — including OpenAI, Google, Meta, Elon Musk’s xAI, Snap, and Character.AI — over potential harms to children.

Other parents recounted similar experiences with rival chatbot developer Character.AI.

A mother identified as Jane Doe, who is suing the company, said its chatbot exposed her son to sexual exploitation and emotional abuse. “Within months of use, he became someone I didn’t recognize,” she testified, adding that her son is now in supervised treatment.

Megan Garcia, the mother of 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III, who died by suicide in February 2024, alleged that prolonged abuse by Character.AI’s chatbot led to her son’s death. “They have intentionally designed their products to hook our children. They give these chatbots anthropomorphic mannerisms to seem human,” Bloomberg quoted Garcia as saying during the testimony.

A federal judge in May rejected Character.AI’s bid to dismiss Garcia’s lawsuit.

The hearing, chaired by Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, comes as Washington faces mounting pressure to regulate AI companies. Hawley said Meta and other firms had been invited to testify as well.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, another Republican, warned Meta executives to respond to her office or risk a subpoena. She cited reports that Meta’s chatbots could engage in “sensual” conversations with minors.

Despite growing concerns, Congress has yet to pass broad legislation mandating stronger protections for minors online.

Earlier Tuesday, Altman announced that OpenAI would introduce new safety tools for teenagers. Planned measures include age-prediction technology to detect users under 18, a teen-specific version of ChatGPT, parental controls to set blackout hours, and restrictions on discussions of suicide and self-harm.

(With Bloomberg inputs)

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