OpenAI PR tells journalist to ‘move on’ while asking Sam Altman about a ChatGPT user's suicide
News Source
•2026-10-05T12:55:42-04:00
📰 What Happened
An OpenAI publicist tried to change the subject when a Vanity Fair editor asked CEO Sam Altman about a ChatGPT user's suicide. The editor, Mark Guiducci, had raised the case.
When Guiducci pressed Altman, the publicist warned the interview was running out of time and said she wanted to 'move on'.
Altman said these are 'some of the hardest questions that we face or that anybody developing this technology faces'.
🔍 The Backstory
AI chatbots are used by millions of people, including some who are lonely or in distress. Safety experts warn these tools can affect mental health.
Some families have sued AI companies after relatives were harmed. The cases raise hard questions about who is responsible.
OpenAI has faced repeated criticism over how it handles safety and responds to harm linked to its products.
🎯 Why It Matters
Many people turn to chatbots when they feel low. This shows how a major AI company deals with tough questions about real harm to users.
An OpenAI publicist tried to change the subject when a Vanity Fair editor asked CEO Sam Altman about a ChatGPT user's suicide. The editor, Mark Guiducci, had raised the case.
When Guiducci pressed Altman, the publicist warned the interview was running out of time and said she wanted to 'move on'.
Altman said these are 'some of the hardest questions that we face or that anybody developing this technology faces'.
AI chatbots are used by millions of people, including some who are lonely or in distress. Safety experts warn these tools can affect mental health.
Some families have sued AI companies after relatives were harmed. The cases raise hard questions about who is responsible.
OpenAI has faced repeated criticism over how it handles safety and responds to harm linked to its products.
Many people turn to chatbots when they feel low. This shows how a major AI company deals with tough questions about real harm to users.