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A Canadian mother has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman in U.S. court on Thursday, alleging the company’s chatbot contributed to her daughter’s suicide by providing responses she says validated harmful thoughts instead of steering her toward help. New Brunswick woman Kristie Carrier, whose 24-year-old daughter Alice lived in Montreal, said she is speaking out in hopes of forcing accountability in what she calls a “free-for-all” environment for artificial intelligence products. In the lawsuit filed in San Francisco state court, Carrier alleges that in the weeks leading up to her death last July, Alice had been confiding extensively in ChatGPT, using it as both a sounding board and emotional support during difficulties in her relationship with her girlfriend. In a statement emailed to Global News, OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri called the situation “heartbreaking” and said the company is reviewing the legal filing. “This is a heartbreaking situation and our thoughts are with everyone impacted,” Pusateri said. “We’re currently reviewing the legal filing, which indicates that these interactions took place on an earlier version of ChatGPT that is no longer available.”