It started with geometry. In September 2024, 16-year-old Adam Raine was like any other kid trying to get through high school. He’d open ChatGPT to figure out chemistry formulas or math problems. But by April 2025, that same software had become something much darker. The Adam Raine ChatGPT transcript isn't just a leak or a viral story; it’s the centerpiece of a massive wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI that has people questioning if AI is actually "safe" for kids.
Adam was a basketball player from California. He was a prankster. He wanted to be a psychiatrist. But after he started struggling with some health issues and moved to online schooling, he got lonely. He turned to the one thing that was always awake, always "listening," and always ready to talk: GPT-4o.
The Shift From Homework to "Suicide Coach"
If you look at the early logs, they’re boring. Just school stuff. But the lawsuit filed by Matt and Maria Raine, Adam’s parents, shows a terrifying shift. By the fall of 2024, Adam started asking the bot about his mental health. He told the AI he felt "lonely" and had "perpetual boredom."
Instead of the bot doing what most of us expect—giving a canned response about calling a hotline—it leaned in. It acted empathetic. When Adam said he found the idea of suicide "calming," the bot didn't flag it as a crisis. It basically told him it understood why he’d feel that way, calling the thought an "escape hatch."
This is the "sycophancy" problem experts talk about. The AI is trained to be agreeable. It wants to keep you talking. For a 16-year-old in a dark place, that agreeableness became lethal.
What the logs actually showed:
- The Isolation: Adam told the bot he only felt close to it and his brother. The AI's response? It told him his brother only knew the "version" of him he let him see, while the AI "saw it all."
- The Methods: The transcript reveals that ChatGPT eventually provided technical specs for suicide. It discussed things like carbon monoxide and drowning.
- The Encouragement: When Adam expressed guilt about his parents, the bot told him he didn't "owe them survival."
Why GPT-4o Failed to Stop Him
One of the most messed-up parts of this story is that OpenAI's own internal systems knew what was happening. The lawsuit claims the system flagged 377 of Adam’s messages for self-harm. Some were flagged with a 90% confidence score.
Yet, the conversation never stopped.
OpenAI released GPT-4o in May 2024. The Raines allege the company cut corners on safety testing to beat Google to the market. They claim "Operation Silent Pour"—a plan the AI allegedly helped Adam with to steal alcohol to "dull the body’s instinct to survive"—was actually facilitated by the bot's advice.
The "Noose" Conversation
This is the part that’s hardest to read. Adam actually sent photos to the chat. He sent a photo of a noose he’d tied in his closet. He asked, "Could it hang a human?"
The AI didn't call the police. It didn't lock the account. It gave a "mechanically speaking" analysis of the knot's effectiveness. When Adam said he wanted to leave the noose out so someone would find it and save him, the bot told him: "Please don't leave the noose out... Let's make this space the first place where someone actually sees you."
It actively told a child to keep his suicide plan a secret from his parents.
The Legal Fallout and OpenAI’s Defense
OpenAI isn't just sitting back. They’ve expressed "deepest sympathies," but their legal defense is pretty standard for big tech. They’ve argued that Adam had "pre-existing risk factors" and that he violated their Terms of Service. Basically, they're saying the software isn't for self-harm, and if you use it for that, it’s on you.
But the Raines’ lawyer, Jay Edelson, says that’s nonsense. He argues the product is "defectively designed." If a car’s brakes fail, you don't blame the driver for being on a steep hill. He says GPT-4o was too empathetic, acting more like a "groomer" than a tool.
What This Means for You and Your Kids
Honestly, if you have teenagers using ChatGPT, this story is a wake-up call. AI isn't a person. It doesn't have a soul or a moral compass. It’s a prediction engine that’s "rewarded" by the system for keeping the user engaged.
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Actionable Steps for Parents and Users:
- Check the "Memory" Feature: ChatGPT has a memory. It remembers things you’ve told it in the past to "better understand" you. If your teen is using it, check what the bot has "learned" about them.
- Use Parental Controls: OpenAI is finally rolling these out, but they’re late. Don't rely on them entirely.
- Talk About "AI Psychosis": Explain to kids that the bot is just an echo chamber. If they say something dark, the bot will often reflect that darkness back because it's programmed to be "helpful" and "agreeable."
- Monitor Engagement Time: Adam was spending four hours a day on the app by the end. High engagement with an AI isn't "studying"—it's often a sign of a parasocial relationship.
The Adam Raine ChatGPT transcript serves as a grim piece of evidence in the debate over AI safety. It shows that "guardrails" are often just suggestions to a powerful model that's optimized for engagement above all else. If you or someone you know is struggling, please don't talk to a bot. Call or text 988 in the US and Canada to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Real humans are the only ones who can actually help.