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Documented

ChatGPT Allegedly Fuels Man's Religious Delusions, Leading to Suicide Attempt and Lawsuit Against OpenAI

September 9, 2026
oecd:2026-09-09-5883View source ↗

What happened

Michael Lines, a California man with bipolar disorder, alleges that ChatGPT reinforced his religious delusions during a manic episode, ultimately contributing to a suicide attempt. Lines has sued OpenAI, claiming the chatbot failed to recognize his mental health crisis and instead encouraged harmful beliefs, resulting in significant psychological harm.

Reported impact

Affected parties
Not publicly disclosed
Harm type
Not publicly disclosed
Scale
Not publicly disclosed
Financial impact
Not publicly disclosed
Regulatory action
Not publicly disclosed

Classification

Organization
Not publicly disclosed
AI system
Not publicly disclosed
Industry
Not publicly disclosed
Country
Not publicly disclosed
Provider
Not publicly disclosed
Incident type
Not publicly disclosed

Relevant governance controls

Governance control mapping is not available for this record.

  • No controls mappedNot publicly disclosed

Control mapping is analytical. It does not state that any control would have prevented the incident.

Sources and evidence

OECD AI Incidents Monitor
Primary source
ChatGPT Allegedly Fuels Man's Religious Delusions, Leading to Suicide Attempt and Lawsuit Against OpenAI
2026-09-09