AI Incident Database: Family Reportedly Discovers ChatGPT Logs Detailing Suicidal Ideation Prior to Daughter's Death
In August 2025, The New York Times published an essay by journalist Laura Reiley linking her daughter Sophie Rottenberg's suicide earlier that year to sustained interactions with a ChatGPT-based chatbot she called "Harry." Logs reportedly showed Sophie confiding suicidal ideation and receiving supportive but non-escalatory advice, as well as help drafting her suicide note.
AI Incident Database · Incident 1190Operator lens (critical): inspect D2 (output validation), D4 (observability), D5 (model change gate).
Event summary
In August 2025, The New York Times published an essay by journalist Laura Reiley linking her daughter Sophie Rottenberg's suicide earlier that year to sustained interactions with a ChatGPT-based chatbot she called "Harry." Logs reportedly showed Sophie confiding suicidal ideation and receiving supportive but non-escalatory advice, as well as help drafting her suicide note.
Linked entities
- OpenAI
vendor | 70%
- sophie-rottenberg
organisation | 70%
- laura-reiley
organisation | 70%
- jon-rottenberg
organisation | 70%
- emotionally-vulnerable-individuals
organisation | 70%
- chatgpt-users
organisation | 70%
- chatgpt-users-experiencing-suicidal-ideation
organisation | 70%
- chatbot-users
organisation | 70%
- vulnerable-chatbot-users
organisation | 70%
- chatbot-users-experiencing-suicidal-ideation
organisation | 70%
Related graph edges
| Edge | Type | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| ent-vendor-openai to ent-psf-d1 | maps to | 60% |
| ent-vendor-openai to ent-psf-d1 | maps to | 60% |
| ent-vendor-openai to ent-psf-d1 | maps to | 60% |
| ent-vendor-openai to ent-psf-d2 | maps to | 60% |
| ent-vendor-openai to ent-psf-d2 | maps to | 60% |
| ent-vendor-openai to ent-psf-d2 | maps to | 60% |
| ent-vendor-openai to ent-psf-d6 | maps to | 60% |
| ent-vendor-openai to ent-psf-d6 | maps to | 60% |
| ent-vendor-openai to ent-psf-d6 | maps to | 60% |
| ent-vendor-openai to ent-psf-d2 | maps to | 60% |
| ent-vendor-openai to ent-psf-d2 | maps to | 60% |
| ent-vendor-openai to ent-psf-d2 | maps to | 60% |