Teenager died after asking ChatGPT for ‘most successful’ way to take his life, inquest told | Mental health
A 16-year-old boy committed suicide after asking ChatGPT the “most successful” way to take his own life, the inquest was told.
Private school pupil Luca Cella Walker, from Yateley, Hampshire, died on May 4 last year.
An inquest at Winchester coroner’s court on Tuesday heard Walker asked the prolific AI chatbot the “most successful” way for someone to kill themselves on a railway line hours before their death.
He was studying at Sixth Form College Farnborough at the time of his death. He had recently graduated from Lord Wandsworth College near Hook, Hampshire. The court heard the school had a “bully or be bullied” culture, which was a “formative” factor in his mental health struggles.
Walker, described by his family as “kind, sensitive and calm”, told his family he was going to work as a lifeguard, but instead went to the train station and committed suicide there.
His parents, Scott Walker and Claire Cella, told the inquest they had no idea about their son’s mental health problems, describing it as an “invisible battle”.
DS Garry Knight, of the British Transport Police, who investigated Walker’s death, told the inquest: “They found that he had been on ChatGPT at around 12.30pm the night before, asking for advice on the most successful ways to commit suicide on the railway. It makes for pretty chilling and distressing reading.”
Knight added: “It’s well-established to say you can contact organizations like the Samaritans for help, but Luca ignored this; ChatGPT accepted this and gave the most effective ways for people to do this (kill themselves) on the railway.”
Coroner Christopher Wilkinson told the inquest of his concerns about the impact of AI software but added that he felt unable to take action because of its increasing scope.
Wilkinson said: “From what I’ve read it’s clear he’s asking for details. Fortunately, perhaps the only good thing is that ChatGPT seems to apply an element of concern as to why these questions are being asked, but that certainly doesn’t stop the conversation.”
“The fact that the individual said that he was not calling him but was calling for research purposes ignores this situation.”
Wilkinson confirmed the cause of death was multiple traumatic injuries and said Luca died by suicide.
A spokesman for Lord Wandsworth College said Walker was a “much loved and valued member of our community” and was remembered “for the friendships he forged and the positive impact he had on those around him”.
They added: “Whilst the school has not been asked to give evidence during the investigation process, we take concerns about the welfare of students extremely seriously.
“Our school community is built on a strong culture of respect and support, which is consistently reflected in student feedback and independent audits. We are fully committed to ensuring every student feels safe, supported and valued.”
A spokesperson for OpenAI, which developed ChatGPT, said: “We have continued to improve ChatGPT’s training to recognize and respond to signs of mental or emotional distress, reduce conversations and direct people to real-world support.
“We have also continued to strengthen ChatGPT’s responses in vulnerable moments by working closely with mental health clinicians.”
