Woman dies after following ChatGPT’s advice

In the United States, the parents of 31-year-old Bowen Wang have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, the company that developed ChatGPT, following her death. The New York Times reported on the case.

Wang suffered from a severe form of epilepsy and took medication to prevent seizures. According to the lawsuit, concerned about the medication’s impact on her speed of thinking and speech, she asked ChatGPT how she could stop taking it. ChatGPT provided her with a schedule to reduce the dosage over several weeks. It also advised her to keep this plan hidden from her doctor.

Wang corresponded with the chatbot multiple times regarding the cessation of her medication. She passed away in February 2026. The cause of death was recorded as sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Her parents accuse ChatGPT of providing dangerous medical advice. A representative for OpenAI expressed condolences regarding the incident and noted that the woman had used an earlier version of the chatbot—GPT-4.