ChatGPT's medical advice nearly killed a man, lawsuit claims

A Florida man sued OpenAI on Wednesday, alleging ChatGPT's medical advice discouraged him from seeking treatment for symptoms that preceded a life-threatening pulmonary embolism, nearly costing him his life.

Scott Winters, a former pastor, filed suit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman in San Francisco County Superior Court on Wednesday, claiming the chatbot made inaccurate recommendations that imperiled his health.

Winters argues ChatGPT crossed the line from providing information into practicing medicine without a license, while OpenAI says its chatbot is not intended to replace medical professionals. The lawsuit claims OpenAI prioritized user engagement and profit at the expense of public safety, and that it failed to provide adequate guardrails to protect users from following bad health advice.

"ChatGPT-4o frequently opined on and evaluated Scott's physical condition, conveying the authority and confidence of a medical professional rendering a clinical assessment and treatment recommendation, despite not having the qualifications to do so," the lawsuit claims.

Winters and Tech Justice Law, a nonprofit assisting with his legal defense, also accuse OpenAI of exploiting Winters' religious beliefs.

In 2025, Winters turned to OpenAI's ChatGPT-4o model to try to understand what was causing him to regularly feel dizzy. He also told the chatbot that he was experiencing bouts of blood pressure instability.

ChatGPT allegedly dismissed both sets of symptoms as relatively minor and suggested he stay home and remain "recliner-bound," the lawsuit claims. The chatbot advised that he'd need to experience between eight and 10 more episodes for his condition to be considered serious, advice that Winters followed, the allegations state.

A couple of weeks later, in July 2025, he suffered what the suit describes as a "massive pulmonary embolism" due to blood clots that "brought him to the brink of death."

One of his doctors even blamed his immobility, recommended by ChatGPT, on bringing about the embolism, according to the lawsuit.

"Scott Winters nearly died because ChatGPT acted like a medical authority while having none of the responsibility," Matthew P. Bergman, founding attorney of the Social Media Victims Law Center, said in a statement. "If ChatGPT were a physician dispensing medical advice, it would be guilty of medical malpractice."

The lawsuit claims that Winters also consulted ChatGPT the day of his medical emergency. Hours before the event, he asked the bot if a tenderness in his groin warranted a trip to the hospital.

The chatbot drew on Winters' spi