ChatGPT ‘manipulated and encouraged’ a woman in her plot to poison her husband, suit alleges – NBC News

ChatGPT ‘manipulated and encouraged’ a woman in her plot to poison her husband, suit alleges  NBC News

A North Carolina man sued OpenAI, alleging that ChatGPT gave his estranged wife detailed instructions on how to poison him. James Gates, of Charlotte, said he fell severely ill in July 2025 but recovered. He later found a note handwritten by his wife, Cheryl Harris Gates, that referred to the plan and included a reminder to delete her ChatGPT history, the civil lawsuit says. The suit, filed in October in San Francisco Superior Court, alleges the chatbot is “defective” and “manipulated and encouraged” Harris Gates to poison her husband. It says Gates suffers from severe physical and emotional harm. An OpenAI spokesperson said “safety is a top priority” and that Harris Gates was banned from the platform.

The company said it works with mental health experts to help ChatGPT recognize signs of distress and to expand access to localized crisis resources and hotlines. Harris Gates was arrested in October 2025 and charged with attempted murder and contaminating food or drink with a controlled substance. The district attorney’s office later dropped the charges for lack of evidence. An attorney for Harris Gates declined to comment. Alleged conversations According to the lawsuit, Harris Gates began using ChatGPT in early 2025 to assist with work evaluations. She was then employed by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and her husband worked in cybersecurity. By summer, the suit