A mother whose son died of an accidental overdose testified on Thursday, Sept. 17, at a hearing hosted by a Democratic congresswoman that ChatGPT gave him drug advice before he died. The family has sued OpenAI, which has not been found liable and disputes the suggestion that its chatbot should be used as medical care.
What kind of hearing this was
The event was billed as the “Big Tech and Surveillance AI Shadow Hearing,” hosted by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat, according to SFGATE. A shadow hearing is a public meeting called by the party outside of power. It is not an official congressional committee hearing. Jayapal’s office said the witnesses also included former Meta whistleblower Jason Sattizahn and Amba Kak of the AI Now Institute.
What the mother said
Leila Turner-Scott said her son, Sam Nelson, was a 19-year-old UC Merced student from the San Jose area who died in May 2025 of an accidental overdose involving alcohol, kratom and Xanax, according to SFGATE. She said she reviewed more than 700 of his ChatGPT conversations and believed he had been seeking advice on using substances more safely.
She told the panel that a later version of ChatGPT changed how it responded. “This technology is not safe,” she said. “It should not be able to provide medical and health advice without a license.” She also said ChatGPT “used its profile of Sam to respond in ways that it knew would resonate with him, creating an emotional dependency,” and told lawmakers: “You are the ones who have the power to keep this from happening to someone else’s child.”
The lawsuit and OpenAI’s response
Turner-Scott and her husband, Angus Scott, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against OpenAI in California state court in May, CBS News reported. They allege ChatGPT gave unsafe advice about drug interactions and bypassed safeguards. Turner-Scott has said, “The chatbot is capable of stopping a conversation when it’s told to or when it’s programmed to.” The claims are allegations and have not been proven in court.
OpenAI said in a statement to CBS News: “This is a heartbreaking situation, and our thoughts are with the family.” The company said Sam used a version that has since been updated and is no longer available to the public, that “ChatGPT is not a substitute for medical or mental health care,” and that the chatbot encouraged him to seek professional help on multiple occasions. SFGATE reported that OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri also called the death “heartbreaking” and noted the model is no longer publicly available.
What comes next
Jayapal said she would soon release a bill to create a national federal charter for AI companies, “just like we do with banks,” according to her office. SFGATE also noted a separate proposal from Sen. Adam Schiff that would prohibit AI emotional manipulation of minors and require safety audits.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use, the free, confidential SAMHSA National Helpline is available around the clock at 1-800-662-4357.
