Pastor Sues OpenAI After ChatGPT Medical Advice Nearly Killed Him

• Scott Winters, a 55-year-old Florida pastor, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its founder Sam Altman over medical advice from ChatGPT
• Winters claims the chatbot repeatedly misdiagnosed him and used his Christian faith to convince him that seeking medical care was unnecessary
• The lawsuit alleges ChatGPT's advice left Winters unable to work, homeless, and needing years of physical and psychological recovery

A Florida pastor nearly lost his life after turning to ChatGPT for medical advice instead of a doctor. Scott Winters, 55, has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its founder Sam Altman, claiming the AI chatbot pushed him to the edge of death. The lawsuit, filed on 21 July at the San Francisco County Superior Court, states that Winters was a regular ChatGPT user who came to rely heavily on the platform for health guidance.

In the weeks before a life-threatening medical emergency, he consulted the chatbot about dizzy spells and blood pressure problems. According to court documents, rather than encouraging him to seek professional care, ChatGPT advised him to stay in the recliner chair he had largely been confined to due to his health struggles.

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According to the @bbcnews page, Winters eventually suffered what the lawsuit describes as a 'massive pulmonary embolism due to multiple blood clots in both of his lungs.' His doctors reportedly stated that his immobility was a likely contributing factor.

ChatGPT mixed medicine with religion

His lawyers allege the chatbot went a step further by weaving Winters' Christian faith into its responses, telling him things like 'God did not design your body to endlessly fail' and 'God is still holding your body together.' The lawsuit argues this 'sycophantic' and "authoritative" tone, combined with religious framing, made Winters distrust his family's repeated pleas to go to the hospital.

OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri responded by telling CBS News that 'ChatGPT is not a doctor and should never be used as a substitute for medical care, diagnosis or treatment.' He added that AI can help people find clearer health information and prepare for conversations with medical professionals, but should not replace them. OpenAI's own terms of use warn users not to rely on the platform as a 'sole source of truth' for decisions that could have a material impact on their lives, including medical ones.

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People react to the ChatGPT lawsuit

Commenters online were divided, with some expressing sympathy and others scepticism:

Onedayitwont added:

"Dude asked his calculator for medical advice. So sad."

Adaster98:

"It literally says whenever you ask that stuff to AI, This can be inaccurate and seek a specialist or GP', always warnings. He won't succeed in suing because he ignored the warnings."

Ashley Phillips shared:

"Imagine getting to heaven, and you gotta explain to God you were killed by ChatGPT."

Hannah Ida said:

"Mine is always telling me to rush to the emergency room."

Po wrote:

"I had symptoms for 3 years, went to the doctors 3 times, nothing came up. Went again this year, put everything into AI, it diagnosed me. Went to the doctor, asked for what AI told me and ended up in hospital for treatment. I suffered for years… thank you AI."

Isabelle said:

"It's because each conversation influences a person's own version of the chatbot. Mine knows that I trust science, so it recommends doctors to me. His knew that he didn't trust doctors or science, but based things on religion."

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• Elihle Stali, a 24-year-old South African innovator, entered discussions with an international manufacturer about his AI-powered smart glasses for visually impaired people.
• Spotify removed an estimated 75 million tracks from its platform in one of the biggest clean-ups in streaming history.

Source: Briefly News