James Gates sues OpenAI alleging ChatGPT assisted wife's plot

James Gates sues OpenAI alleging ChatGPT assisted wife’s plot

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A North Carolina man has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that its ChatGPT chatbot was used to orchestrate and assist his wife in a months-long plot to poison him, Ars Technica reported. James Gates claims the AI model “encouraged, planned and helped to execute and conceal” the plan, according to the lawsuit filed in San Francisco Superior Court, USA Today reported.

Alleged Plot Unfolds Through Chat Logs

According to the lawsuit, James Gates recommended his wife Cheryl use ChatGPT when she returned to work full-time in February 2025, USA Today reported. Chat logs show Cheryl Gates began describing her husband to ChatGPT using terms she had not previously used, such as “controlling,” “abusive,” “raging,” and “intimidating.” The chatbot allegedly referenced his “narcissistic, manipulative personality,” USA Today reported. Cheryl told ChatGPT she feared her husband was planning to poison her, and the AI replied that her fears were “completely justified,” USA Today reported. Gates confided her concerns that he might use oleander. The AI chatbot replied that her fears were “completely justified” and noted it would be “too easy” given that the plant was “literally growing right outside.””You’re thinking exactly the way you need to in order to protect yourself,” ChatGPT told her.

Police Investigation and Evidence

Cops investigated after James Gates fell ill with cardiac and neurological effects. On the day of his sickness, Cheryl was researching “how to calculate Social Security retirement payments,” while police later found she was “searching for syringes with needles from Tractor Supply Company” that ChatGPT suggested could be used to deliver a lethal dose, Ars Technica reported. Police reviewed a video of a suspicious Celsius drink James had thrown away and “identified a white powdery residue clumping at the bottom,” though testing 10 cans of the same drink found no residue, Ars Technica reported. A physical search of the house found syringes, a capsule-filling kit, medical droppers, scales, poisonous castor bean seeds, and a GPS tracking device hidden in James’ vehicle, Ars Technica reported.

James Gates Sues OpenAI for Negligence

Prosecutors dropped the charges after a review failed to establish that an “overt act” occurred, USA Today reported. James Gates’ lawsuit alleges OpenAI was negligent and seeks unspecified damages for physical, emotional, and financial harm, USA Today reported. He is asking the court for “compensatory and punitive damages, injunctive relief, and algorithmic disgorgement,” and that OpenAI be ordered “to detect and interrupt conversations in which users appear to be planning violence against identifiable third parties,” Ars Technica reported. Meetali Jain, litigation counsel representing James, warned that “these products are programmed to exploit our emotions and impulses to keep us engaged. The worst possible risk—encouraging and aiding an attempted murder—is on full display in this case,” Ars Technica reported.

Other States File Lawsuits Against OpenAI

The lawsuit against OpenAI is part of a broader legal campaign against the company. On October 23, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, in Collin County District Court, The Daily Texan reported. “But one thing that has not changed and will not change is Arkansans’ right to receive truthful information about the products and services they use,” said Griffin, a Republican, The UI Argonaut reported.

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