Scott Winters, a 55-year-old Florida pastor, is suing OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, in San Francisco. Winters alleges that ChatGPT provided dangerously inaccurate medical advice regarding recurrent dizzy spells and talked him out of seeking professional care. He claims this guidance led to a pulmonary embolism that nearly cost him his life.
The lawsuit accuses OpenAI of practicing medicine without a license and failing to safeguard users seeking health advice. This case appears to be the first to claim that a chatbot’s medical guidance caused direct harm to a user.
One day after the lawsuit sought to block the product until independent auditors could verify its safety, OpenAI Group PBC launched Health in ChatGPT. This new feature enables users to connect their medical records and Apple Health data to the chatbot.