ChatGPT gave a man unlicensed medical advice, leading to mental health crisis, lawsuit alleges

October 16, 2026 / 5:22 PM EDT / CBS News

Artificial intelligence may be unparalleled as a tool for gathering information about countless subjects. But what happens when a chatbot dispenses advice on more sensitive topics typically reserved for experts, such as human health?

That question underlies a recent lawsuit filed by a Washington man who alleges in a lawsuit against OpenAI that he was hospitalized with mental health problems last year soon after he started consulting the company's ChatGPT model.

The man, 39-year-old David Rosenthal, said the platform helped him select medications, provided instructions on drug dosages and even offered reassurance when he opted to ignore his doctor's prescription orders, according to his complaint, which was filed in San Francisco criminal court.

ChatGPT offered that feedback without "any of the license, training, or professional judgment" that a medical expert would provide, a violation of California law barring the practice of medicine without a license, according to the suit.

Alleges the complaint: "But for ChatGPT's repeated encouragement and constant praise — and its override of Mr. Rosenthal's own expressed reluctance — Mr. Rosenthal's mental health would not have spiraled, he would not have been detained and involuntarily admitted to a…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/moneywatch/