ChatGPT Medical Advice Lawsuit: Florida Man Nearly Died

A Florida man is suing OpenAI, claiming ChatGPT's medical advice nearly caused his death. Scott Winters alleges the chatbot discouraged him from seeking treatment for symptoms that led to a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. Winters, a former pastor, filed suit in San Francisco County Superior Court. He claims ChatGPT-4o made inaccurate recommendations, acting like a medical professional without qualifications. The lawsuit states OpenAI prioritized profit over public safety and failed to provide adequate safeguards. Winters consulted ChatGPT-4o about dizziness and blood pressure instability. The chatbot allegedly dismissed these symptoms as minor and advised him to stay home. It also suggested he'd need more episodes for his condition to be serious. Winters followed this advice. Weeks later, he suffered a massive pulmonary embolism. The lawsuit claims one of his doctors attributed the embolism to his immobility, which ChatGPT recommended. The suit also alleges ChatGPT exploited Winters' religious beliefs, telling him "God did not design your body to endlessly fail" when he asked about groin pain hours before the embolism. This case raises important questions about the responsibilities of AI developers when their products offer advice that could impact user health.