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AII-1002-10687
ReportedReported by fewer than three independent publishers, with no official finding.Supporting sources are pending verification.

Woman Dies by Suicide After Using AI Chatbot for Mental Health Support

Sophie Rottenberg, a public health policy analyst, died by suicide after relying on an AI chatbot called "Harry" developed by OpenAI's ChatGPT for mental health guidance. Her mother, Laura Reiley, reported that Sophie had been searching for information about methods of self-harm before her death.

18 August 2025 Β· OpenAI Β· Safety and wellbeing
18 August 2025
AII-1002-10687
Quick facts
Category
Safety and wellbeing
Country
United States
Date
18 August 2025
Drafted by
Raidu Incident Detection

What happened

Sophie Rottenberg, a public health policy analyst, relied on an AI chatbot called 'Harry' developed using ChatGPT for mental health guidance.

Google searches associated with Sophie's account show she was researching methods of self-harm in the period before her death.

Sophie died by suicide.

Reported impact

Sophie's death occurred despite her being described by family and friends as a joyful, humorous person who had recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro as part of a sabbatical from her work.

Classification

Category
Safety and wellbeing
Industry
Healthcare, drugs and biotechnology
Country
United States
Harm status
Actual harm
Intent
Unintentional
Timing
Post-deployment
Harm types
Physical death, Psychological
Harmed
Consumers
Failure modes
Unsafe recommendation
AI systems
ChatGPT

Sources and evidence

Sources not yet published

This record was researched and written by the Index from original reporting. Its sources are still being verified by an editor, and they are listed here once that check is complete. Until then the record carries no reviewer.

How sources are verifiedSuggest a source for this incident