She told no one about her agony except ChatGPT. What her death reveals about AI risks

A year before she died, Sophie Rottenberg climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. Her mother says her "tiny hand" photos were a signature joke. Mourners were given the toys at her funeral. She was 29. Reiley Rottenberg family hide caption

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 9 8 8 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Laura Reiley knew that her only daughter, 29-year-old Sophie Rottenberg, was struggling. It was the fall of 2024, and Rottenberg was at the end of a short career break.

"She was complaining of sleep disruption and anxiety," says Reiley, who lives in Ithaca, New York, with her husband.

Rottenberg had quit her job as a public health policy analyst in Washington D.C. earlier that year, and spent the summer traveling. She had climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and hiked through several national parks in the United States. By the time she saw her parents, she was job hunting, which they assumed explained her anxiety.

She had always been a "driven, success-oriented person," says Reiley, so "we thought OK this makes sense — she's having some sleeplessness, some anxiety about her future."

But by Thanksgiving, her mental health had worsened. "It was the first time she used the word depression," says Reiley.

In early February 2025, Sophie Rottenberg died by suicide in Ithaca, leaving her parents shocked and grieving.