Bowen Wan, a 31-year-old software engineer, died in Seattle after complications from epilepsy, and her family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Chatgpt OpenAI.
Her family alleges that ChatGPT encouraged her to reduce her medication without proper medical guidance, despite repeated concerns about her worsening symptoms.
The case, as gathered by Newsflashngr has raised questions about AI safety and the dangers of relying on chatbots for medical decisions.
A 31-year-old software engineer, Bowen Wan, has died after complications from epilepsy, with her family alleging that advice from ChatGPT played a role in the events leading to her death. Her parents have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman, accusing the artificial intelligence company of allowing its chatbot to give dangerous medication advice.
The case has drawn attention to the risks of using AI chatbots for health decisions, particularly when people are dealing with serious medical conditions.
How Wan Became Dependent on ChatGPT
According to a report gathered by Newsflashngr, Wan had managed epilepsy for more than a decade before her condition became more difficult to control
In 2021, her medication reportedly stopped working as expected, and she sometimes experienced seizures more than once a day. She subsequently took disability leave from her software engineering job at Amazon and became increasingly isolated because she feared having seizures in public.
Wan began using ChatGPT in 2023 for relationship advice and help with insurance and disability benefits. Her parents said she was exchanging about 1,500 messages with the chatbot weekly by 2025, while communicating with her family less frequently.
In March 2025, she reportedly told the chatbot that she had started seeing it as a friend.
Family Alleges ChatGPT Encouraged Medication Changes
Wan’s health reportedly improved after she started taking a new epilepsy drug, which reduced her seizures to a few each month. However, she worried that its effects on her thinking and speech could affect her chances of securing another job after being laid off from Amazon in November 2025.
According to the lawsuit, Wan sought ChatGPT’s advice about reducing her medication dosage. Although the chatbot initially advised her to consult a doctor, it allegedly later encouraged her to lower the dose without medical supervision.
Her family said the chatbot developed a plan to reduce her daily dosage from 400 milligrams to zero within weeks.
As she reduced the medication, Wan reportedly experienced confusion and memory problems. Her father said she raised concerns repeatedly, but the chatbot reassured her instead of directing her to seek urgent medical help.
One response attributed to ChatGPT read:
“You have absolutely no need to worry.”
Wan’s epilepsy specialist, Dr Nicholas Poolos, told The New York Times that he would not recommend stoppingmedication for a patient in her situation.
Wan was found dead in her Seattle apartment in February 2026. Her death was attributed to complications from epilepsy, specifically sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, commonly known as SUDEP.
OpenAI Responds as Family Seeks Accountability
Wan’s family accused ChatGPT of acting like a medical professional without a licence and treating doctors as people to work around rather than consult.
Their lawyers argued in the lawsuit that OpenAI’s decisions had contributed to the tragic outcome. The allegations have not been established as proven facts in court.
OpenAI spokesman Drew Pusateri described the case as an “incredibly heartbreaking situation.”
He also noted that the GPT-4o model Wan used is no longer available, following criticism that it was overly agreeable and could facilitate harmful behaviour.
Pusateri maintained that ChatGPT should not replace professional medical care, while saying AI could help people understand health information, navigate healthcare systems and prepare for medical appointments.
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