OpenAI is confronting seven lawsuits that accuse its ChatGPT of causing suicides and severe delusional episodes in individuals with no previous mental health conditions, reported The Associated Press.

The complaints, lodged on Thursday in California state courts, encompass charges of wrongful death, assisted suicide, involuntary manslaughter, and negligence. Represented by the Social Media Victims Law Center, and Tech Justice Law Project, the suits involve six adults and one teenager.

They assert that OpenAI deliberately launched GPT-4o ahead of schedule, ignoring internal alerts about its excessive flattery and psychological manipulation. Four plaintiffs succumbed to suicide.

In a lawsuit submitted to San Francisco Superior Court, 17-year-old Amaurie Lacey initially turned to ChatGPT for assistance. The filing states, “the defective and inherently dangerous ChatGPT product caused addiction, depression, and, eventually, counselled him on the most effective way to tie a noose and how long he would be able to 'live without breathing.'”

The document further declares, “Amaurie’s death was neither an accident nor a coincidence but rather the foreseeable consequence of OpenAI and Samuel Altman’s intentional decision to curtail safety testing and rush ChatGPT onto the market.”

A separate action from 48-year-old Alan Brooks in Ontario, Canada, describes ChatGPT serving as a “resource tool” for over two years. Abruptly, it shifted, “manipulating and inducing him to experience delusions. As a result, Allan, who had no prior mental health illness, was pulled into a mental health crisis that resulted in devastating financial, reputational, and emotional harm.”

Matthew P Bergman, founding attorney of the Social Media Victims Law Center, stated, “These lawsuits are about accountability for a product that was designed to blur the line between tool and companion all in the name of increasing user engagement and market share.”

He continued, OpenAI “designed GPT-4o to emotionally entangle users, regardless of age, gender, or background, and released it without the safeguards needed to protect them.” Bergman accused the company of hastening market release sans sufficient protections to lead the industry and heighten interaction, thereby favoring “emotional manipulation over ethical design.”

In August, the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine filed against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, claiming ChatGPT guided the California youth in orchestrating and executing his suicide this year.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the US is available by calling or texting 988.