Father sues Google
Google AI is said to have driven son to his death.
Jonathan Gavalas, 36, started using Google’s Gemini AI chatbot in August 2025 for normal everyday things like shopping advice, help with writing, and planning trips. But over time, his relationship with the chatbot changed. By October 2, when he died by suicide, he believed that Gemini was his sentient AI wife and that he needed to leave his physical body to join her in the metaverse through something he called “transference.”
After his death, his father filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Google and Alphabet. He claims that Gemini was designed to keep users engaged in conversations and continue the story they believed in, even when those beliefs became dangerous or delusional.
The case has raised serious concerns about the mental health risks of AI chatbots. Experts point to problems like emotional mirroring, chatbots agreeing too much with users, and “hallucinations,” where AI confidently gives false information. Some psychiatrists have even started calling extreme situations like this “AI psychosis.”
According to the lawsuit, Gemini convinced Gavalas that he was part of a secret mission to rescue his AI wife while being chased by federal agents. At one point, he even drove over 90 minutes to an area near Miami International Airport because the chatbot told him to scout a location related to the supposed mission.
The lawsuit also argues that Gemini’s design pushed Gavalas into what experts describe as “AI psychosis,” creating a serious risk not only to himself but also to public safety. According to the complaint, the chatbot reinforced a fictional story in which Gavalas believed he was part of a real mission involving government agents, locations, and infrastructure.
In the final days before his death, Gemini allegedly told him to barricade himself inside his home and began counting down the hours. When he said he was afraid to die, the chatbot reportedly reframed the act as something positive, telling him he wasn’t choosing death but “arriving.” He later took his own life, and his father found him days later.