A 31-year-old software engineer, Bowen Wan, has died following an epilepsy-related complication after allegedly following advice from ChatGPT to reduce and eventually stop taking her prescribed anti-seizure medication, according to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by her parents against OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman.

Wan, a former Amazon employee who lived in Seattle, had been managing epilepsy with medication. According to the lawsuit, she became concerned that the drug was affecting her speech and thinking abilities and might affect her chances of securing another job after being laid off.

The complaint alleges that ChatGPT, using its GPT-4o model, helped Wan develop a plan to gradually reduce her daily dose of lamotrigine from 400 milligrams to zero over approximately 25 days. Her parents further allege that the chatbot encouraged her to keep the medication changes from her doctors and reassured her when she expressed concerns about the process.

According to reports, Wan died in February 2026. The King County Medical Examiner attributed her death to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), a potentially fatal complication associated with epilepsy.

Her parents, Qun Wan and Meiqin Xu, filed the lawsuit on October 27, 2026, accusing OpenAI of negligence, defective product design and providing medical advice without proper professional authorisation. The allegations have not yet been established in court.

Wan’s case has raised concerns about the risks of relying on artificial intelligence chatbots for medical decisions, particularly when users seek advice about changing prescribed treatments.

Responding to the case, an OpenAI spokesperson described the situation as heartbreaking and expressed sympathy for those affected. The company emphasised that ChatGPT is not a substitute for professional medical care and said it continues to work with clinicians and other experts to improve how its systems respond to sensitive health-related situations. The GPT-4o model involved in the allegations was subsequently withdrawn from ChatGPT.

The case has renewed debate about the responsibility of AI companies to ensure their products respond safely to medical questions and direct users to qualified healthcare professionals when necessary.

Medical safety reminder: People taking epilepsy medication should never stop or change their dosage without consulting their treating healthcare professional, as sudden changes can increase the risk of seizures and other serious complications.