The family of a woman who died, reportedly from a seizure, is apparently placing responsibility on ChatGPT for allegedly giving her medical advice that was potentially harmful, according to their lawsuit. Per The New York Times via The New York Post, Bowen Wan, 31, a software engineer living in Seattle, passed away unexpectedly in February at home. Her parents, who reside in China, had requested that someone check on her. Tragically, she was found deceased. Wan's cause of death, per the outlet, was complications of epilepsy. Wan reportedly had dealt with the condition for years.
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Her dad, Qun Wan, allegedly learned that his daughter had been seeking information from ChatGPT "on how to dodge her doctor's watchful protection and taper off her life-sustaining medication," per The New York Post. The popular chatbot allegedly gave her a figurative pat on the back for sidestepping healthcare providers.
In a wrongful death lawsuit filed on October 27, lawyers reportedly wrote, "Bowen Wan paid for [OpenAI's] choices with her life." The lawsuit names Open AI and CEO Sam Altman.
Things Began Going Badly for Bowen Wan
According to the outlet, five years ago, Bowen Wan's medication was not working the way she needed it to. She grew more withdrawn because of her worries about experiencing a seizure in public. Three years ago, she began turning to ChatGPT for guidance with topics like relationships and insurance issues. "By 2025, she averaged 1,500 messages a week with the bot and started talking to her parents less, they said," per The New York Post.
Then the young woman's life took another bad turn. Amazon, her employer, let her go last November. She had to obtain another job quickly to remain in the United States. Meanwhile, a new medication had been helping Wan, but she feared it would make her mind and speech sluggish. That, to her, would not bode well for a successful job search.
She Allegedly Began Looking Into Adjusting Her Meds
Bowen Wan allegedly wanted to decrease the dosage of her antidepressant. Her family's lawsuit claims that ChatGPT "encouraged her to cut it on her own without telling her doctor," according to The New York Post. In January of this year, Wan also wanted to take a significantly smaller dose of her epilepsy medication. She allegedly intended to slash the dosage dramatically, from 400 milligrams each day to 300 then 200.
Per The New York Times, ChatGPT initially told her to speak with a doctor, then allegedly congratulated her because she did not "[rely] on a doctor's prescription."
Her epilepsy physician frowned on reducing her dosage of medication. Dr. Nicholas Poolos told The New York Times via The New York Post, "That would be malpractice for me to instruct you to go off medications when it's clearly working," he said.
Her dad allegedly saw "that ChatGPT had made a plan to lower 400 mg to none in a matter of weeks."
Wan Allegedly Did Change Her Dosage
She did allegedly start taking less of her meds and began having difficulty with remembering things and dealing with confusion. ChatGPT allegedly advised her, "You have absolutely no need to worry."
An OpenAI Spokesperson Issued a Statement
Drew Pusaten reportedly shared with The New York Times via The New York Post, "While ChatGPT is not a substitute for medical care, we believe AI can play a role in helping people make sense of health information, navigate insurance and complex health care systems and prepare for appointments with medical professionals."
