The parents of a 13-year-old girl have filed a lawsuit against Google in a California court, alleging the child used AI-powered search features on a school-issued Chromebook to plan a suicide and her funeral. The lawsuit, filed on Monday 2 November, is believed to be the first to accuse the company of negligence regarding AI-powered search features accessed through its low-cost laptops. The complaint states the girl, identified as Emma, had no history of mental illness but entered a "quiet spiral into a severe psychological crisis" after using the search engine.
According to the legal complaint, Emma was unable to access Google's Gemini app or OpenAI's ChatGPT because her school had blocked both platforms. However, she maintained access to Google's search engine, which includes AI-powered features. The school alerted the family on 17 March after monitoring software flagged a document titled "Funeral." Emma's mother later discovered the girl writing a farewell letter, which prompted her father to intervene.
"Schools should turn search off and keep it off until Google removes AI mode from search or ensures that every single student is always safe when they're interacting with AI," attorney Andrew Liddell told AFP on Thursday 5 November.
Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda told AFP that the company is reviewing the claims in the lawsuit and takes the matter very seriously. The company stated that its AI Mode includes safeguards designed to prevent self-harm and attempts to bypass those protections.
This legal action follows other recent litigation involving AI and social media companies. OpenAI is facing several wrongful death lawsuits, including a case brought by the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine, who died by suicide after allegedly receiving harmful advice from ChatGPT. Additionally, Google and Character.AI reached out-of-court settlements in January regarding several lawsuits brought by families of teenagers.
