Chinese parents sue OpenAI over their daughter’s death; say ChatGPT-maker could have prevented her death by making medical advice off-limits
Parents of a 31-year-old Chinese woman who worked as a software engineer at Amazon have reportedly sued OpenAI , alleging that ChatGPT encouraged their daughter to reduce her epilepsy medication without medical supervision before her death in February. The case involves GPT-4o, an older version of ChatGPT that OpenAI removed from the service on February 13, a day after Wan died, according to the report. The New York Times said it reviewed more than 270,000 messages between Wan and ChatGPT. She expressed concern about reducing her medication at least 158 times, according to the report. In her final message to the chatbot on February 11, according to the complaint, Wan asked whether the pain in her head was similar to pain caused by a fever.
The lawsuit was filed by Qun Wan and Meiqin Xu over the death of their daughter, Bowen Wan, according to a report by The New York Times. OpenAI described the case as “incredibly heartbreaking” and said newer models are better at recognising situations that require urgent attention. The report said Wan had also raised concerns about her medication in connection with her green-card application. ChatGPT discussed how a lower dose might affect the medical examination required for the application, according to the lawsuit. The chatbot reportedly described the pain as “not dangerous” and said it was part of the recovery process.
The lawsuit claims the company could have prevented her death by making medical advice off-limits to its chatbot. The complaint alleges that ChatGPT helped her plan a gradual reduction in her seizure medication and advised her not to tell her doctors about it. The lawsuit against OpenAI alleges that Wan continued to report symptoms, including confusion, memory gaps and unusual sensations, while reducing her medication. ChatGPT reportedly reassured her that these experiences were part of her brain adjusting to the changes.