A Son Blames ChatGPT for His Father's Murder-Suicide
Podcast: The Journal.Published On: Fri Jan 09 2026
Description: In August, a troubled man named Stein-Erik Soelberg killed his mother and took his own life. In the months leading up to the tragedy, Soelberg had been engaging in delusion-filled conversations with ChatGPT. Now, his mother’s estate has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI, and Soelberg’s son Erik wants the tech giant to take responsibility for a product that he believes deepened his father’s decline. WSJ’s Julie Jargon tells Ryan Knutson about the challenges facing OpenAI when it comes to mental health. Further Listening: - A Troubled Man and His Chatbot - OpenAI’s ‘Code Red’ Problem Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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