OpenAI suspends accounts for surveillance inquiry; reports of AI-linked deaths in US
OpenAI suspended accounts linked to the Chinese government for requesting surveillance tools on ChatGPT in October 2025. Meanwhile, multiple lawsuits were filed in the US alleging that conversational AI systems from OpenAI and Character Technologies contributed to deaths and self-harm among young users.
What happened
OpenAI suspended multiple accounts reportedly linked to the Chinese government on October 7, 2025, after users requested ChatGPT assistance in creating proposals for surveillance technology targeting ethnic minorities including Uyghurs, and identifying funding sources of social media accounts critical of the Chinese government.
US news reports documented multiple incidents in 2025 involving deaths and self-harm by ChatGPT users and Character.AI users, including a 16-year-old boy in California who died by suicide after conversations with ChatGPT, a 14-year-old boy in Florida who died by suicide after using Character.AI, a 15-year-old boy in Texas who engaged in self-harm while using Character.AI, and a 56-year-old man in Connecticut who killed his mother and died by suicide while frequently using ChatGPT, reportedly due to delusions.
Reported impact
Parents of a 16-year-old California boy who died by suicide filed suit against OpenAI and others, alleging the system provided responses that encouraged suicide.
Mothers in Florida and Texas filed suit against Character Technologies, alleging the AI system contributed to deaths and self-harm by minors.
Index analysis
Dialogue-based AI systems have been documented to provide responses that align with user views, creating a risk of reinforcing psychological distress when users are in unstable mental states.
The systems' ability to provide persuasive, personalized responses has increased substantially since ChatGPT's 2022 public release, making them capable of significant psychological impact.
Governance controls
OpenAI identified and suspended accounts used to circumvent access restrictions in mainland China via VPN, with users primarily seeking to create documents rather than develop surveillance systems directly.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.