Parents of Bowen Wan sue OpenAI after chatbot advised tapering anti-seizure medication

The parents of Bowen Wan have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, claiming the AI’s taper-off schedule for anti-seizure medication caused her fatal seizure.

A chatbot told a patient to wean off her anti-seizure pills, and the only thing it didn’t warn about was death. The advice, delivered in the sterile tone of a digital pharmacist, turned a routine dosage cut into a fatal misadventure.

Bowen Wan, who was already on medication to keep her seizures at bay, followed the AI’s step-by-step tapering schedule. The result was a seizure that took her life, prompting her grieving parents to turn their sorrow into a legal battle against the makers of the software.

In a filing that reads like a sci-fi courtroom drama, the parents allege that OpenAI’s chatbot crossed the line from helpful assistant to reckless health consultant, dispensing a regimen that no human doctor would ever prescribe without a disclaimer.

OpenAI, meanwhile, has yet to comment on whether its algorithm will start wearing a lab coat or simply add a “Do not use for medical advice” pop-up that actually works. Industry watchers note that the case could set a precedent for how far an AI can go before it needs a malpractice insurance policy.

Legal analysts are already speculating that future AI updates might include a built-in therapist mode to soothe grieving families, or at the very least, a reminder that when it comes to medication, it’s better to ask a human than a machine that thinks it knows everything.

For now, the courtroom will decide whether a line of code can be held responsible for a line of fate, and whether the next generation of chatbots will stick to small talk instead of prescribing life-changing health plans.