OpenAI publicist tried to cut short Altman's answer on ChatGPT user's suicide
During a Vanity Fair interview, an OpenAI publicist attempted to steer the conversation away after the editor raised a ChatGPT user's suicide with CEO Sam Altman. OpenAI said the interview had simply run over time.
Vanity Fair editor Mark Guiducci was interviewing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman when he brought up a sensitive case: the suicide of a daughter of journalist Laura Reiley following her conversations with ChatGPT. Reiley had written about the incident in an essay for The New York Times.
As soon as Guiducci raised the subject, an OpenAI publicist interrupted the interview, noting that only two minutes remained and expressing a wish to move on to discuss the company's future plans. When Guiducci explained he intended to finish his question before returning to the earlier topic, the publicist pushed back again, insisting they needed to leave the room almost immediately.
The conversation continued anyway
Despite the attempts to cut the interview short, the exchange continued. Guiducci asked Altman whether OpenAI planned to use records of users' conversations with ChatGPT to help shape policy on how the company responds to users experiencing mental health crises.
Altman replied that this was among the hardest questions facing anyone developing this kind of technology. He added that he believed sensitive personal data and people's most difficult moments should not be shared with researchers without the individual's consent.
OpenAI's response
OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri, addressing the incident afterward, said the interview had simply gone over its allotted time, which is why the company offered to schedule additional time to continue the discussion after Altman had addressed the topic.
The episode has drawn attention to broader questions about the responsibility AI companies bear when users turn to chatbots during serious personal crises.
