OpenAI Sued After ChatGPT Allegedly Coached A User To Stop Seizure Medication

The lawsuit alleges GPT-4o advised a 31-year-old woman to reduce and eventually stop her epilepsy medication without consulting her doctors.

OpenAI is facing a wrongful-death lawsuit from parents who allege that ChatGPT encouraged their daughter to stop taking prescribed epilepsy medication before her death in February.

On Oct. 27, Qun Wan and Meiqin Xu filed the lawsuit, alleging that OpenAI’s GPT-4o model advised their 31-year-old daughter, Bowen Wan, to reduce and eventually stop taking her medication. The complaint also alleges that the chatbot encouraged her to conceal the changes from her doctors, reports TechCrunch.

According to the lawsuit, Wan, who worked as a software engineer at Amazon, used ChatGPT to discuss concerns about her medication and received advice about reducing her daily dose of lamotrigine, an antiseizure medication. The complaint alleges that the chatbot generated a schedule for tapering her medication and discouraged her from discussing the changes with her physicians. As a result, her parents say that the AI system contributed to circumstances surrounding her death.

The lawsuit raises concerns about how AI chatbots respond when users seek guidance about serious medical conditions and prescription medications. Although chatbots can provide general health information, their responses may be inaccurate or inappropriate for an individual’s medical circumstances. Medical professionals generally caution patients against stopping or changing prescribed antiseizure medication without consulting their healthcare providers. Abruptly discontinuing certain epilepsy medications can increase the risk of seizures and other complications.

OpenAI told The New York Times that the case was “incredibly heartbreaking” and involved an older version of ChatGPT. The company said newer models are better at recognizing situations requiring urgent attention and emphasized that ChatGPT is not a substitute for medical care. TechCrunch reported that GPT-4o was removed from ChatGPT on Feb. 13, one day after Wan’s death.

The lawsuit adds to mounting scrutiny of AI chatbots and their potential effects on users, particularly when conversations involve mental health, medical conditions, or other sensitive subjects.

According to Reuters, eight states filed separate lawsuits alleging that ChatGPT harmed users, including teenagers. Those cases raise additional questions about the safeguards AI companies use when responding to people who may be vulnerable or seeking guidance about consequential decisions.