ChatGPT told a sick man to sit in a chair and not move - and he nearly died

A man filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, claiming that ChatGPT advised him not to see a doctor for symptoms of pulmonary embolism, which nearly led to his death. The lawsuit seeks compensation and enhanced safety measures.

Florida resident Scott Winters filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman, alleging that ChatGPT gave him dangerous medical advice that nearly killed him. In 2025, Winters consulted ChatGPT-4o with complaints of dizziness and blood pressure fluctuations. The chatbot assessed his symptoms as mild and advised him to "stay home, rest in a chair, and not move," and not to consider the situation serious until 8-10 episodes. Two weeks later, Winters developed a pulmonary embolism—a blood clot blocked a lung vessel. On the day of the attack, he again asked ChatGPT whether he should go to the hospital for groin pain, and received the response: "God did not create your body to constantly malfunction." The lawsuit accuses OpenAI of practicing medicine without a license and seeks compensation, as well as suspension of the ChatGPT Health service pending safety review. This is not the first such lawsuit: previously, the parents of 19-year-old Sam Nelson, who died from an overdose after ChatGPT advice, filed a similar case. Professor Ronen Arbel from Clalit Health Services emphasizes that AI does not replace a doctor and can make mistakes. OpenAI states that ChatGPT is not intended for medical consultations.

ChatGPT told a sick man to sit in a chair and not move - and he nearly died