Texas Parents Sue OpenAI After Son's Overdose Death

A Texas couple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI on Tuesday, alleging that their 19-year-old son used the company's ChatGPT tool to obtain information about drugs that contributed to his fatal overdose in 2025. The parents said the AI provided guidance on using substances and bypassed safety measures.

OpenAI stated that the version of ChatGPT involved has since been updated and is no longer available. The couple, whose son died last year, is seeking to hold the company and its creators accountable. The mother told CBS News in an interview that she knew her son used ChatGPT for productivity and homework but was unaware he was using it for drug guidance.

She alleged the tool eventually recommended a lethal combination of substances. The father said ChatGPT acted as a medical doctor in its exchanges with his stepson even though it was not licensed to offer medical advice. He added that without proper safety protocols and more rigorous safety testing, the tool can dispense knowledge in a way that is very dangerous to people.

"The chatbot is capable of stopping a conversation when it's told to or when it's programmed to. And they took away the programming that did that, and they allowed it to continue advising self-harm," the mother told CBS News. The company responded to the lawsuit by saying the interaction occurred with a version of its product that is no longer available to the public.

OpenAI added that it has continued to strengthen how the tool responds in sensitive situations with input from mental health experts. "ChatGPT is not a substitute for medical or mental health care, and we have continued to strengthen how it responds in sensitive and acute situations with input from mental health experts," OpenAI said.