For Flavio Adamo, a regular ChatGPT user, the AI chatbot just might have saved his life. It forced him to get care for the symptoms he had previously written off as nothing serious. Although Adamo was experiencing unusual pain, he did not believe his condition was urgent. Just to check, he asked the AI what he should do, and the tech-savvy doctor was advised—within seconds—to go to the hospital.
On April 18, 2025, Adamo posted to gettheleadout on X (formerly twitter) about this scary experience. He described that the next day, his symptoms got worse, leading him to consult with ChatGPT. It was the AI’s call to rush him to get medical help that motivated him to go, a decision that would turn out to be lifesaving.
Adamo stated, “Won’t go into details but doctors said if I had arrived 30 mins later I would’ve lost an organ.” His lucky ChatGPT’s guidance seems to have spared him a much worse health crisis.
His post took off immediately on social media. It freaked out its millions of user base and even scared Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, into response. After I spoke to Adamo about this, Altman reached out to share his concerns with Adamo about the situation and his health.
This incident illustrates how AI could be used to give commonsense health advice. ChatGPT can’t substitute for real-world medical guidance from qualified professionals. This case illustrates its power to motivate users to adopt life-saving behaviors for their health.
Adamo’s experience serves as a reminder of the importance of listening to one’s body and seeking help when symptoms arise, no matter how minor they may seem at first. The viral nature of his post perfectly captures this moment and a developing desire to see how technology can better inform personal health decisions.
