OpenAI sued after ChatGPT's health advice led to medical emergency, lawsuit claims

A lawsuit has been filed against OpenAI by Scott Winters, a 55-year-old former pastor from Florida, who claims that ChatGPT’s health recommendations led to delayed emergency medical treatment for a life-threatening pulmonary embolism.

He sued OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman, on Wednesday claiming ChatGPT's inaccurate medical advice kept him from seeking treatment for recurrent dizzy spells, leading him to suffer a pulmonary embolism that nearly killed him.

The lawsuit claims that GPT-4o, an earlier version of the chatbot that OpenAI has since retired, recommended last year that he limit his movement and stay home.

When he asked ChatGPT about a tenderness in his groin, the bot said it was likely not something dangerous.

Soon after the day, asking about the tenderness, Winters was hospitalized.

According to the lawsuit, the tenderness was likely a sign of blood clots in his lungs, an ‘embolism’ that doctors said was likely brought on by his lack of movement.

In response, Drew Pusateri, an OpenAI spokesperson, said the company believes AI chat can improve healthcare but that ChatGPT is not a doctor and should never be used as a substitute for medical care.

"Treating chatbots as the whole story behind people’s medical decisions or outcomes oversimplifies a much bigger challenge, and risks getting in the way of people accessing powerful new tools that can aid them in their health journey," Pusateri said.

Precisely, OpenAI noted that its terms of service clearly state ChatGPT is not a medical device or a substitute for professional healthcare.

The company emphasized that treating AI outputs as the sole factor in complex medical decisions oversimplifies patient care