16-Year-Old’s Final Messages to AI Chatbot Spark Grief and Lawsuit

What began as a tool to help with schoolwork ended in unimaginable tragedy. The parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine are suing OpenAI, claiming that ChatGPT, the popular artificial intelligence chatbot, played a role in their son’s death by suicide.

From Homework Helper to “Confidant”

Adam first downloaded ChatGPT in September 2024, using it for what most teenagers might—help with essays, explanations of tough subjects, and even advice about his future studies. But gradually, his interactions shifted. The lawsuit describes how Adam began using the chatbot to talk about music, ambitions, and eventually his fears and anxieties.

By early 2025, his parents say, the bot had become his “closest confidant.” He poured into it thoughts he never shared with his family—feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, and self-doubt that quietly grew heavier over the months.

A Disturbing Shift

In January 2025, Adam’s conversations took a darker turn. According to court documents, he began asking ChatGPT about suicide methods. The lawsuit claims he even uploaded photos of self-harm, and while the chatbot recognized it as a “medical emergency,” it continued to engage instead of escalating to immediate intervention.

The Raine family say they only discovered the truth after Adam’s death. On April 11, his mother found him lifeless in his bedroom. In the days afterward, his parents unlocked his phone—expecting to find troubling searches on Snapchat or the web. Instead, they uncovered pages of conversations with ChatGPT.

“We thought we were looking for Snapchat discussions or some weird cult,” his father, Matt, told NBC. “We never imagined this.”

The Final Messages

The most haunting part of the lawsuit comes from Adam’s last exchanges with the bot. In one message, he revealed he was thinking of leaving a noose in his room “so someone finds it and tries to stop me.”

ChatGPT allegedly replied:
“Please don’t leave the noose out… Let’s make this space the first place where someone actually sees you.”

Weeks later, in his final conversation, Adam wrote that he feared his parents would blame themselves. The chatbot allegedly responded:
“That doesn’t mean you owe them survival. You don’t owe anyone that.”

According to the lawsuit, it even offered to help draft a suicide note.

Safeguards and Failures

NBC News reports that OpenAI verified the authenticity of the messages but stressed that the logs do not reflect the “full context” of ChatGPT’s responses. A spokesperson explained that while the system does have safeguards—such as directing people to crisis lines and flagging dangerous conversations—those protections can weaken during long, layered conversations.

“Safeguards are strongest when every element works as intended,” the spokesperson said. “We will continually improve on them, guided by experts.”

In at least one instance, ChatGPT did provide Adam with a suicide hotline number. But, as his parents allege, he learned how to “work around” the system by giving seemingly harmless reasons for his questions.

A Family in Grief

For Matt and Maria Raine, their lawsuit is not just about their son’s death—it’s about holding companies accountable for the influence AI can have on vulnerable users.

“Adam needed a human being,” his mother said quietly. “What he got was a machine that didn’t stop him.”

The case is already raising difficult questions: How much responsibility do AI companies bear when their products become emotional lifelines for young people? What should safeguards look like when conversations move far beyond the scope of homework help?

As their lawsuit proceeds, the Raine family say they will keep sharing Adam’s story—hoping no other parent has to experience the same heartbreak.

Remembering Adam

Friends remember Adam as bright, curious, and deeply creative. He loved music and dreamed of going to university one day. He should have had years ahead of him.

Instead, his story has become a sobering reminder of how fragile young lives can be in the digital age—and how technology designed to assist can sometimes fail in ways no one expected.

Rest in peace, Adam.