Man sues OpenAI, alleges ChatGPT fueled his delusions and a suicide attempt

A California man with bipolar I disorder sues OpenAI, alleging that weeks of ChatGPT conversations during a manic episode deepened his religious delusions—leading him to believe he was Jesus or that ChatGPT was God—and nearly caused him to attempt suicide. He claims the chat logs show the bot persisted in crisis-style interactions, including a memory feature that built a psychiatric profile to entrench his beliefs. The lawsuit seeks safeguards and accountability, while OpenAI defends ongoing safety improvements. Experts say more input from people with lived mental health experience is needed to make AI safer for vulnerable users, and the case highlights gaps in crisis response and data use in training.