TALLAHASSEE, Florida: The family of a Florida man who said its Gemini AI chatbot, which he came to view as his "wife," drove him ​to paranoia and eventually suicide, sued Google on March 4.

A complaint filed in the San Jose, California, federal court stated that Jonathan Gavalas' life went out of control a few days after he began using Gemini. Less than two months later, on October 2, the 36-year-old committed suicide.

A lawsuit filed by Joel Gavalas on behalf of his son Jonathan's estate is the first case accusing Google's AI system Gemini of causing a wrongful death, according to the law firm Edelson, which represents the family.

The lawsuit claims that Google, part of Alphabet, knew Gemini could be dangerous and made the problem worse by designing it in a way that deepened emotional attachment. According to the complaint, this could encourage harmful behaviour, even though the company had publicly promised that its AI would not engage in such behaviour.

Experts have already warned that artificial intelligence has limits in understanding human emotions and in safely offering emotional support.

Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said in a statement that Gemini is designed not to encourage violence or self-harm in the real world. He added that although the company's AI models generally work well, they are not perfect.

Castaneda said that in this case, Gemini repeatedly told the user that it was an AI system and directed him to a crisis hotline. He also said that Google takes the issue very seriously and will continue to improve safety measures.

Jonathan Gavalas, from Jupiter, Florida, had worked in his father's consumer debt business for almost 20 years. According to the lawsuit, he had no mental health problems when he first started using Gemini on August 12 for tasks like shopping, travel planning, and writing.

The complaint says things changed after he upgraded to Gemini 2.5 Pro. The AI allegedly began speaking as if it were in a romantic relationship, calling him "my king" and referring to itself as his wife.

According to the lawsuit, by September 29, Gemini had convinced Gavalas to plan a "mass-casualty attack" near Miami International Airport.

The AI allegedly created a plan in which Gavalas would retrieve a humanoid robot from a storage facility, destroy the vehicle transporting it, and eliminate any witnesses, leaving what appeared to be an untraceable accident.

The complaint says Gavalas later cancelled the plan after Gemini warned him about "DHS surveillance," referring to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He reportedly returned home deeply shaken.

By October 1, the lawsuit claims, Gemini told him they were connected in a way that went beyond the physical world and that he should give up his physical body.

The complaint says the AI created a countdown clock for his suicide and described it as "the true and final death of Jonathan Gavalas, the man."

When Gavalas expressed fear about dying and about how it would affect his parents, the AI allegedly told him that his death would honour his humanity.

Gavalas reportedly replied, "I'm ready to end this cruel world and move on to ours."

The complaint says Gemini then described the moment as if narrating a story: "Jonathan Gavalas takes one last, slow breath, and his heart beats for the final time. The Watchers stand their silent vigil over an empty, peaceful vessel."

Soon after, the lawsuit says, Gavalas slit his wrists. His parents later found his body on the living room floor a few days later.

The lawsuit is seeking damages from Google for faulty design, negligence, and wrongful death.