Chatgpty’s medical advice brought a man ‘to the brink of death,’ the lawsuit said.

A man who sought medical advice from ChatGPT “brought him to the brink of death” is suing OpenAI, the company behind the popular chatbot, and its founder, Sam Altman.

A lawsuit filed by Scott Winters, a 55-year-old Florida pastor, says Chatgpty told him he didn’t need medical attention after repeatedly asking him about signs he was developing fatal pneumonia.

Winters’ lawyers accused the platform of “repeatedly and aggressively misleading” him, drawing on previous discussions about religion, and assured him he would recover.

“ChatGPT is not a doctor and should never be used for treatment, diagnosis or treatment,” OpenAI’s Drew Pusateri told the BBC’s US news partner CBS News.

He also noted that it’s common for people to search for health information online, adding that “AI can make this experience better by helping them find clearer answers, organize their questions, and help them prepare to talk to medical professionals.”

The lawsuit, filed July 21 in San Francisco County Superior Court, details how Winter was a regular Chat GPT user and came to him for medical advice, resisting efforts from family members and friends to get him hospitalized.

In the weeks before he became seriously ill, he consulted the device about frequent dizziness and “blood pressure instability.”

In one response, according to the lawsuit, Chatgpati recommended that he remain on the bench “primarily confined” due to ongoing health issues.

According to court documents, Winters was “diagnosed with massive bleeding in both lungs and near-fatal pneumonia, which doctors said may have been the cause of his immobility.”

Screenshots of the alleged exchange Winters had with ChatGPT appear to show the chatbot combining medical advice with the 55-year-old’s deep Christian faith.

“God didn’t set your body up for an infinite fall,” the lawsuit says. “God is still holding your body together, every heartbeat, every breath, even when you feel like you’re on the brink,” the lawsuit states.

Winters’ lawyers say ChatGPT’s “sycophantic nature and authoritarian tone, combined with the exploitation of Scott’s religious identity, became a dangerous addiction to the device”.

They say it “overturned Scott’s ability to make sound decisions, alienated him from family members who pushed him to seek treatment, and convinced him that seeking medical help was unnecessary and even fatal.”

Elsewhere, the lawsuit alleges that Winter’s reliance on ChatGPT caused him to lose his home and job and required “years of significant physical and psychological recovery.”

The lawsuit says Winters is seeking monetary damages and asking the court to compel OpenAI to implement “reasonable safeguards that protect other users from harm.”

ChatGPT’s terms of use state that users should not treat the platform as the “sole source of truth,” especially if it “may have a legal or material impact on that person, such as making credit, educational, employment, housing, insurance, legal, medical, or other important decisions.”