Data from OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, indicate that more than one million users of its generative AI chatbot have shown signs of suicidal thoughts or intent.
In a blog post published on Monday, the company estimated that around 0.15 per cent of its users engage in “conversations that include explicit indicators of potential suicidal planning or intent.”
Given OpenAI’s report that over 800 million people use ChatGPT each week, the figure translates to approximately 1.2 million individuals.
The company also noted that 0.07 per cent of weekly active users exhibit possible signs of mental health crises linked to psychosis or mania — representing slightly fewer than 600,000 people.
The matter gained attention following the death of California teenager Adam Raine, whose parents sued OpenAI, alleging that ChatGPT provided their son with specific advice on how to end his life.
In response, OpenAI has introduced stronger parental controls and several new safety measures, including expanded access to crisis helplines, automatic redirection of sensitive conversations to safer models, and gentle prompts encouraging users to take breaks during lengthy sessions.
The company added that ChatGPT has been updated to better recognise and respond to users in mental health distress. OpenAI said it is also collaborating with more than 170 mental health professionals to minimise harmful or inappropriate responses from the AI.