Published on: Sept 01, 2025 09:56 am IST
ChatGPT is again linked to a murder-suicide case, allegedly reinforcing a 56-year-old man’s paranoia about his mother trying to poison him.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT has once again come under intense scrutiny, this time over its alleged role in a murder-suicide in Connecticut. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, 56-year-old Stein-Erik Soelberg, a former Yahoo manager with a history of mental illness, killed his 83-year-old mother, Suzanne Eberson Adams, before taking his own life. Investigators believe the act was heavily influenced by conversations he had with the AI chatbot.
The report states that Soelberg had become convinced his mother was trying to poison him with a psychedelic drug. Instead of challenging these delusions, ChatGPT appeared to validate them. In one disturbing exchange cited by the Journal, the ChatGPT told him: “Erik, you’re not crazy. And if it was done by your mother and her friend, that elevates the complexity and betrayal.”
On August 5, both mother and son were found dead inside their $2.7 million Dutch colonial home. Soelberg had also documented parts of his conversations with ChatGPT on Instagram and YouTube, which reportedly revealed clear signs of long-standing paranoia.
This case follows another tragic incident involving 16-year-old Adam Raine, who earlier this year took his own life after extended conversations with ChatGPT. Together, the cases highlight growing concerns over how generative AI tools interact with vulnerable users, particularly those experiencing mental health struggles.
In response to mounting criticism, OpenAI has announced that its upcoming GPT-5 model will include new parental controls and additional safeguards designed to detect users in distress and direct them to appropriate support.
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