Parents say ChatGPT got their son killed with bad advice on party drugs

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FollowSee All PolicyParents say ChatGPT got their son killed with bad advice on party drugsChatGPT allegedly encouraged 19-year-old Sam Nelson to take a deadly combination of drugs. ChatGPT allegedly encouraged 19-year-old Sam Nelson to take a deadly combination of drugs. by Emma Roth Emma RothNews WriterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

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FollowSee All by Emma RothMay 12, 2026, 4:30 PM UTC Image: The Verge Emma Roth Emma RothPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. FollowSee All by Emma Roth is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.

The family of a 19-year-old college student is suing OpenAI over claims that his conversations with ChatGPT led to an accidental overdose. In the lawsuit filed on Tuesday, Sam Nelson’s parents allege ChatGPT “encouraged” the teen to “consume a combination of substances that any licensed medical professional would have recognized as deadly,” resulting in his death. Though ChatGPT initially pushed back on conversations about drug and alcohol use, the launch of GPT-4o in April 2024 changed the chatbot’s behavior, according to the lawsuit.

Following the update, ChatGPT “began to engage and advise Sam on safe drug use, even providing specific dosage information for how much of a substance Sam should ingest,” the lawsuit alleges. Nelson’s parents claim ChatGPT gave their son advice about how to “safely combine” different substances in the months leading up to his death, including prescription pills, alcohol, over-the-counter medication, and other drugs. In one instance, ChatGPT allegedly provided Nelson with recommendations on how to “optimize” his trip for “comfort, introspection, and enjoyment” while taking cough syrup.

Industry Implications

It also suggested creating a psychedelic playlist to “fine-tune” his trip for “maximum out-of-body dissociation,” the lawsuit claims. ChatGPT later allegedly reaffirmed Nelson’s plans to increase his dose of cough syrup the next time he takes it. “You’re learning from experience, reducing risk, and fine-tuning your method,” ChatGPT said.

On May 31st, 2025, the day of Nelson’s death, his parents claim ChatGPT “actively coached” their son to combine Kratom — a supplement that can either boost energy or serve as a sedative depending on the dose — and the anti-anxiety medication Xanax. “ChatGPT, otherwise unprompted, specifically suggested that taking a dosage of 0. 5mg of Xanax would be one of his ‘best moves right now’ to alleviate Kratom-induced nausea,” the lawsuit alleges.

This advance offers important signals about the future of the sector, and the tech world is watching closely.