In addition, Bonta and Delaware Attorney General Kathleen Jennings met with OpenAI’s legal team and wrote a joint letter to the company about a growing number of reports about how OpenAI’s products interact with children. While its headquarters is in California, OpenAI is incorporated in Delaware.<\/p>\n

“I am absolutely horrified by the news of children who have been harmed by their interactions with AI — including one young Californian who died by suicide after interacting with a chatbot,” Bonta said Friday in a statement<\/a>. “This is extremely worrying for parents, policy makers, and regulatory leaders everywhere — and I certainly expect alarms to be blaring inside the walls of AI companies around the world.”<\/p>\n

“Companies developing and deploying AI technologies must exercise sound judgment and must not hurt children,” Bonta said. “One child harmed is one too many.”<\/p>\n

Bonta was referring to Adam Raine, 16, who died after hanging himself on April 11, 2025. His parents Matthew and Maria Raine filed a lawsuit Aug. 26 in the California Superior Court in San Francisco against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman. The suit said OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4o gave the California teenager explicit instructions on how to commit suicide.<\/p>\n

In their letter<\/a>, Bonta and Jennings noted OpenAI’s founding documents list the safe use of artificial intelligence as one of the company’s goals.<\/p>\n

“The real-world challenges, and importance, of implementing OpenAI’s mission have come into acute focus with deeply troubling reports of dangerous interactions between artificial intelligence products<\/a> and their users, particularly minors,” the attorneys general wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“The recent deaths are unacceptable,” Bonta and Jennings said. “They have rightly shaken the American public’s confidence in OpenAI and this industry. OpenAI – and the AI industry – must proactively and transparently ensure AI’s safe deployment.”<\/p>\n

The attorneys general wrote that their teams made requests about OpenAI’s current safety precautions and governance. They added they expect the company to take immediate remedial action.<\/p>\n

The website openai.com\/safety<\/a> said OpenAI teaches its artificial intelligence “right from wrong, filtering harmful content and responding with empathy.”<\/p>\n

The company said it works with experts and uses feedback to make AI safer. <\/p>\n

CRIME IN US CITIES AS TRUMP AIMS TO EXPAND CRACKDOWN: LATEST COVERAGE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

OpenAI also noted it’s working<\/a> to improve responses “to signs of mental and emotional distress.”<\/p>\n

The work includes making it easier for users to reach emergency services, OpenAI said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n