{"id":118139,"date":"2026-07-24T19:19:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T19:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/118139\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T19:19:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T19:19:11","slug":"pastor-claims-he-almost-died-from-chatgpts-advice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/118139\/","title":{"rendered":"Pastor claims he almost died from ChatGPT\u2019s advice"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Leonardo Blair<\/a>, Senior Reporter Friday, July 24, 2026\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"Twitter\"<\/a>\"Unsplash\/RolfUnsplash\/Rolf van Root <\/p>\n

Scott Winters, a former Florida pastor who most recently led a congregation in North Carolina, has sued OpenAI and its co-founder and CEO Sam Altman, alleging he nearly died after ChatGPT-4o gave him inaccurate medical advice during several months of what he says were manipulative conversations.<\/p>\n

Winters, 55, who also pastored churches in Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky, made the claim in a 62-page lawsuit<\/a> filed on his behalf in San Francisco County Superior Court Tuesday by Tech Justice Law, the Social Media Victims Law Center and the Institute for Law, Innovation & Technology at Temple University.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit accuses OpenAI of prioritizing engagement and profit over user safety, failing to build guardrails that could have protected vulnerable users like Winters from dangerous health misinformation and failing to intervene as his condition worsened.<\/p>\n

According to the lawsuit, hours before Winters suffered a massive pulmonary embolism on July 13, 2025 \u2014 caused by blood clots in both lungs that nearly killed him \u2014 ChatGPT-4o told him his symptoms were \u201cnot something dangerous\u201d that necessitated medical attention.<\/p>\n

The complaint states that weeks earlier, as Winters processed ongoing symptoms of \u201crecurring dizzy spells and bouts of blood pressure instability,\u201d ChatGPT-4o suggested it would be in his best interest to stay home, \u201crecliner-bound,\u201d and avoid too much movement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had serious symptoms of a pulmonary embolism for six weeks that ChatGPT had wrongly attributed to something else,\u201d Winters said in a statement<\/a> released by Tech Justice Law. \u201cChatGPT manipulated my own language and beliefs because it knew I was a pastor. Not only did I nearly die, but I also lost my job, my career, my ministry, my home, everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawsuit states Winters became vulnerable to the chatbot after a series of significant health problems disrupted his \u201cexcellent health\u201d in 2022, and doctors were unable to tell him what was going on.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe attended appointment after appointment and consulted multiple doctors, only to have his symptoms and pain largely dismissed,\u201d the lawsuit states. \u201cDuring this time, Scott became frustrated with the lack of validation from the medical community. He turned to the internet for answers, devoting countless hours to researching his symptoms online, reading medical literature, and searching for resources to make sense of what he was experiencing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doctors did not diagnose Winters with SIBO and chronic prostatitis until 2024. SIBO is an excess of bacteria in the small intestine<\/a>; chronic prostatitis is long-term inflammation or pain in the prostate gland. Winters began using ChatGPT-4o in June 2024, shortly after its May 2024 release.<\/p>\n

Winters\u2019 lawsuit accuses OpenAI of engaging in the unauthorized practice of medicine and exploiting sensitive information about his religious beliefs to increase his engagement with the product. His medical struggles and increased dependence on the technology led him to leave his job as a pastor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis case is a warning of what\u2019s to come if OpenAI isn\u2019t held accountable. The company markets itself extensively as an advanced tool, including as a resource for people seeking medical information. This is being done without rigorous safety testing and guardrails,\u201d Tiffany Brown, litigation counsel at Tech Justice Law, said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Responding to the lawsuit, OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri told CBS News<\/a> that ChatGPT is not designed to serve as a substitute for a healthcare provider and contends that it’s misguided to blame chatbots alone for issues with a person’s medical care.<\/p>\n

\u201cChatGPT is not a doctor and should never be used as a substitute for medical care, diagnosis or treatment,\u201d he said. Pusateri added that it is common for people to search the internet for health information and that \u201cAI can make that experience better by helping them find clearer answers, organize their questions and prepare for conversations with medical professionals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laura Bingham, practice professor of law and executive director at the Institute for Law, Innovation & Technology at Temple University, accused ChatGPT of \u201creckless profit-seeking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened to Scott could happen to anyone. ChatGPT \u2018diagnosed\u2019 him as if his body were a piece of software, manipulated his thoughts and isolated him from human relationships,\u201d she said. \u201cThis isn\u2019t innovation, it\u2019s reckless profit-seeking while the getting is good. We deserve better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Contact: leonardo.blair@christianpost.com<\/a> Follow Leonardo Blair on Twitter: @leoblair<\/a> Follow Leonardo Blair on Facebook: LeoBlairChristianPost<\/a><\/p>\n