Scott Winters said in a lawsuit filed in California state court in San Francisco that GPT-4o, an earlier version of the chatbot that OpenAI has since retired, recommended last year that he limit his movement and stay home. When he asked ChatGPT about a tenderness in his groin, the bot said it was likely not something dangerous, the lawsuit claims.
The day after asking about the tenderness, Winters was hospitalized, the lawsuit said. The tenderness was likely a sign of blood clots in his lungs, an embolism that doctors said was likely brought on by his lack of movement, according to the lawsuit.
Drew Pusateri, an OpenAI spokesperson, said the company believes AI chat can improve healthcare but that ChatGPT is not a doctor and should never be used as a substitute for medical care.
"Treating chatbots as the whole story behind people's medical decisions or outcomes oversimplifies a much bigger challenge, and risks getting in the way of people accessing powerful new tools that can aid them in their health journey," Pusateri said.
Seeking a court order
