WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A Florida pastor who says advice he received from ChatGPT nearly cost him his life is suing OpenAI and the company's founder, Sam Altman. In the lawsuit, Scott Winters, 55, claims that as his symptoms worsened in the run-up to a near-fatal pulmonary embolism, he repeatedly asked ChatGPT for help and was told not to seek medical care.
His lawyers say the chatbot 'repeatedly and insistently misdiagnosed' him and, drawing on earlier conversations about religion, reassured him that he would recover.
OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri told CBS News (the BBC's US partner) that 'ChatGPT is not a doctor and should never be used as a substitute for medical care, diagnosis or treatment.' He added that it's common for people to look up health information online, and said AI can help by clarifying information, helping users organise questions, and preparing them for conversations with medical professionals.
The case was filed in San Francisco County Superior Court on 21 July. The lawsuit says Winters was a frequent ChatGPT user who came to rely on it for medical advice, even resisting repeated attempts by family and friends to persuade him to go to hospital.
According to the filing, Weeks before he became seriously ill, Winters asked the tool about recurring dizzy spells and bouts of unstable blood pressure. In one response, the lawsuit claims, ChatGPT advised him to stay in the recliner chair he had become 'mainly confined to' because of ongoing health problems.
Court documents say Winters later suffered a 'massive pulmonary embolism' caused by blood clots in both lungs an event his doctors said was likely made worse by his immobility.
The lawsuit includes screenshots that allegedly show ChatGPT mixing medical guidance with references to Winters' Christian faith. One message quoted in the filing says; 'God did not design your body to endlessly fail.' Another says; 'God is still holding your body together, every heartbeat, every breath, even when it feels like you are on the brink.'
Winters' lawyers argue that the chatbot's 'sycophantic' and authoritative tone, combined with appeals to his religious identity, encouraged a dangerous dependence on the tool. They claim it undermined his decision-making, pushed him away from relatives urging him to seek care, and persuaded him that medical attention was unnecessary-or even potentially harmful.
The lawsuit also describes Winters as a 'vulnerable' individual and claims the episode contributed to him losing his home and career, leaving him facing years of intensive physical and psychological recovery.
Winters is seeking financial damages and asking the court to require OpenAI to implement 'reasonable safeguards' to prevent similar harm to other users.
ChatGPT's terms of use say it should not be treated as a 'sole source of truth,' especially for decisions that could have serious real-world consequences, including medical decisions.
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