As global reliance on artificial intelligence escalates, OpenAI has officially faced its first-ever medical malpractice lawsuit. Filed in the San Francisco California Supreme Court by Florida Pastor Scott Winters, the landmark legal action alleges that ChatGPT provided misleading and hazardous medical advice, resulting in life-threatening delays for a critical pulmonary embolism diagnosis.
According to The New York Times, the lawsuit accuses OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman of negligence and the unauthorized practice of medicine. The plaintiff claims the chatbot downplayed severe health symptoms, discouraged him from seeking professional medical intervention, and actively steered him away from doctors. Consequently, the lawsuit seeks financial damages, court-mandated restrictions to block ChatGPT from delivering medical diagnoses or treatment plans, and an immediate halt to the “ChatGPT Health” service until independent bodies verify its safety. This follows a separate ongoing controversy alleging the chatbot influenced a 29-year-old mother to commit suicide.
