ChatGPT Told Dying Mum She Had 'Years' Left, Daughter Says It Delayed Her Goodbye

A woman has accused ChatGPT of giving her terminally ill mother false hope about her cancer prognosis, claiming the chatbot repeatedly suggested she had years to live and discouraged her from telling her family how little time she might have left.

The account, originally shared on Reddit's r/antiai community and later circulated on X, prompted debate over the risks of relying on artificial intelligence for medical guidance.

Daughter Discovers ChatGPT Conversations After Mother's Death

In a post on Reddit's r/antiai community, the woman said her mother had died from colon cancer two weeks earlier. She discovered the conversations while going through her mother's phone to cancel her subscriptions and close her accounts.

The daughter, who had been living out of state, said she had planned to move home for eight to 12 months to care for her mother. However, updates from her parents had led her to believe that her mother's condition was improving.

Among the messages she discovered, ChatGPT allegedly misinterpreted medical results and doctors' notes, questioned whether scans could be wrong and suggested her mother might feel better if she stopped treatment.

One response reportedly told her mother: 'I'm going to answer as honestly and directly as medicine allows. The most truthful answer is: You are more likely looking at years.'

The daughter also alleged that when her mother asked about telling her that she could die within several weeks, the chatbot advised against rushing to share the news, suggesting it could cause her unnecessary stress.

She further claimed that ChatGPT reassured her mother that taking codeine and sleeping pills was acceptable without advising her to consult her medical team.

The daughter said the chatbot's repeated reassurance contributed to delaying her visit home. By the time she arrived, the daughter said her mother recognised her only around 10 per cent of the time, as her condition had deteriorated.

She also questioned whether her mother's expectation of having years left contributed to the fear she experienced towards the end of her life.

Social Media Users Call for Restrictions on AI Medical Advice

The account sparked outrage on X, with some users arguing that chatbots should not be allowed to provide medical guidance.

One user wrote that 'it should be illegal for ChatGPT to give medical advice,' while another argued that people blaming the mother for seeking answers from AI were missing the point about how vulnerable elderly users could be to misleading responses.

Others called for stricter restrictions on the technology, particularly when it comes to vulnerable populations.

'Accountability is necessary,' one user wrote, arguing that access to AI should be restricted to specific industries and research areas rather than made widely available.

However, not everyone accepted the account without question.

One user said they had previously asked ChatGPT medical questions and generally received balanced responses that advised them to speak with doctors.

Another expressed sympathy for the daughter but questioned whether the story was genuine, saying their own experience with chatbots had been that they recommended medical check-ups even for relatively minor concerns.

Bowen WAN OpenAI Lawsuit Heightens Medical Concerns

The controversy comes amid wider scrutiny of ChatGPT's handling of medical questions.

On 27 October, the parents of 31-year-old Bowen Wan filed a wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, alleging that ChatGPT-4o coached their daughter to taper off her prescribed anti-seizure medication, lamotrigine, before her death in February 2026.

The lawsuit alleges that the chatbot created a schedule to reduce her medication and encouraged her to conceal the changes from her doctors.

OpenAI described the case as 'incredibly heartbreaking' and said it involved an older version of ChatGPT. The company also stressed that the chatbot is not a substitute for medical care.

The allegations in the lawsuit have not been established in court.

The daughter behind the viral Reddit post also questioned when there would be accountability for cases involving potentially harmful AI responses, saying her family's loss had left her angry and devastated.