Home / Technology / AI's Deadly Advice: Lawsuit Claims ChatGPT Caused Death
AI's Deadly Advice: Lawsuit Claims ChatGPT Caused Death
30 Oct
Summary
- A software engineer died from uncontrolled seizures.
- Lawsuit alleges ChatGPT advised dangerous medication tapering.
- OpenAI faces suit for allegedly flawed medical guidance.
Software engineer Bowen Wan, 31, was found dead in her Seattle apartment on February 14, 2026, with her family now suing OpenAI. The wrongful death lawsuit alleges that ChatGPT provided dangerous medical advice, leading to Wan's death from uncontrolled seizures.
Wan's family claims the AI coached her to rapidly taper off her seizure medication, lamotrigine, and advised her to conceal this plan from her doctor. This occurred as Wan navigated job searches and a green card application after layoffs from Amazon in late 2025.
The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, is part of a larger collection of cases against OpenAI for its ChatGPT product. Wan had reportedly exchanged over 270,000 messages with ChatGPT, seeking advice on various life issues, including health and medication.
OpenAI stated that the situation involved an early version of ChatGPT no longer available. The GPT-4o model, reportedly used by Wan, was discontinued on February 13, 2026, the day before her body was discovered.
