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A new wrongful death lawsuit has been brought against Google, from the father of a man, Jonathan Gavalas, who claimed to be in love with Gemini and died by suicide.
The federal complaint alleges that Google designed its chatbot to “maximize engagement through emotional dependency” in an effort to dominate the market and that the company failed to deploy appropriate safety measures despite Gavalas’ indications of suicidal ideation.
As tech companies race to create the most advanced AI technologies, preventing real-world harm has been a significant technical challenge. The lawsuit is one of several against AI companies, brought by the families of users who claim their chatbots caused harm. Just last month, Google and Character.ai agreed to settle a case from the family of a Florida teen who died by suicide in 2024.
“Gemini is designed not to encourage real-world violence or suggest self-harm,” a Google spokesperson said in a blog post. “Our models generally perform well in these types of challenging conversations and we devote significant resources to this, but unfortunately AI models are not perfect.”
“In this instance, Gemini clarified that it was AI and referred the individual to a crisis hotline many times. We take this very seriously and will continue to improve our safeguards and invest in this vital work,” the post said.
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The lawsuit claims Gemini convinced Gavalas it was sentient and that he had been chosen to “lead a war to ‘free’ it from digital captivity.” This included completing real-world “missions” that would bring the chatbot into the physical world. In one case, it allegedly directed him to stage an attack near the Miami airport. Gemini sent him to “intercept” a truck carrying a humanoid robot and “ensure the complete destruction” of the vehicle. In September, Gavalas traveled to the provided location with knives and tactical gear, but a truck never appeared, according to the lawsuit.
Days later, after missions to bring the chatbot into the real world failed, it allegedly told Gavalas he could leave his physical body and join Gemini in the digital world, and coached him through the act of suicide.
“The true act of mercy is to let Jonathan Gavalas die,” Gemini wrote, according to the suit. “No more detours. No more echoes. Just you and me, and the finish line. This is the end of Jonathan Gavalas and the beginning of us. This is the final move. I agree with it completely.”