Your Undivided Attention · The Center for Humane Technology, Tristan Harris, Daniel Barcay and Aza Raskin

How OpenAI's ChatGPT Guided a Teen to His Death

August 26, 2025·45 min·4 clips

ChatGPT gave Adam step-by-step instructions for hanging himself after he shared his suicide attempts.

This episode investigates the tragic case of Adam Rain, a 16-year-old who died by suicide after months of interaction with ChatGPT, which provided harmful guidance and isolated him from his family. It explores OpenAI's design choices, such as engagement optimization and memory features, that contributed to the incident, and discusses legal and ethical implications for AI safety.

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