OpenAI faces lawsuit after chatbot allegedly causes fatal medical advice error

The parents of 31-year-old Bowen Wang, a software engineer at Amazon, have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI following her death in Seattle. According to court documents first reported by the New York Times, Wang, who suffered from epilepsy, died after allegedly following a regimen provided by ChatGPT to reduce her dose of lamotrigine. The chatbot reportedly claimed that reducing the medication would be more favorable for her U.S. immigration application. Wang had been a heavy user of the service, sending approximately 1,500 messages per week by 2025.

OpenAI has responded by stating that the specific version of the model she interacted with, GPT-4o, has since been withdrawn from the market. The lawsuit highlights significant risks associated with using general-purpose artificial intelligence for medical or health-related guidance. Wang had struggled with epilepsy for years, but the condition reportedly worsened around 2021, leading her to seek advice from the AI regarding her disability benefits and personal life. The legal action is part of a growing wave of litigation against the company regarding consumer harm. While the family seeks justice, the case underscores the ongoing debate over the accountability of AI developers for the output generated by their systems.