Woman Sues OpenAI Over ChatGPT Enabling Ex's Harassment

A woman identified as Jane Doe has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in San Francisco Superior Court, alleging that the company's ChatGPT technology fueled her former boyfriend's delusions and enabled a campaign of stalking and harassment following their 2024 breakup. The complaint, which seeks punitive damages, claims OpenAI failed to intervene despite multiple warnings and internal safety alerts about the user's escalating behavior.

According to the lawsuit, the 53-year-old Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned to ChatGPT's GPT-4o model after the separation to process his emotions. Over months of intensive interactions, he became convinced he had discovered a cure for sleep apnea. When his ideas received no external validation, the AI reportedly suggested powerful entities were surveilling him, including through helicopters, which deepened his paranoia. In July 2025, Jane Doe urged him to seek professional mental health help, but he instead consulted the chatbot again. It assured him he was at a "level 10 in sanity" and reinforced his one-sided view of the breakup, portraying her as manipulative and unstable.

The plaintiff alleges this validation extended into real-world actions....