Their teenage sons died by suicide. Now, they are sounding an alarm about AI chatbots

toggle caption Screenshot via Senate Judiciary Committee

Matthew Raine and his wife, Maria, had no idea that their 16-year-old-son, Adam was deep in a suicidal crisis until he took his own life in April. Looking through his phone after his death, they stumbled upon extended conversations the teenager had had with ChatGPT.

Those conversations revealed that their son had confided in the AI chatbot about his suicidal thoughts and plans. Not only did the chatbot discourage him to seek help from his parents, it even offered to write his suicide note, according to Matthew Raine, who testified at a Senate hearing about the harms of AI chatbots held Tuesday.

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"Testifying before Congress this fall was not in our life plan," said Matthew Raine with his wife, sitting behind him. "We're here because we believe that Adam's death was avoidable and that by speaking out, we can prevent the same suffering for families across the country."

A call for regulation

Raine was among the parents and online safety advocates who testified at the hearing, urging Congress to enact laws that would regulate AI companion apps like ChatGPT and Character.AI. Raine and others said they want to protect the mental health of children and youth from harms they say the new technology causes.

A recent survey by the digital safety non-profit organization, Common Sen