ChatGPT Convinced 37-Year-Old Psychologist His Sore Throat Was Fine; Biopsy Revealed Stage 4 Cancer – Mashable India
Warren Tierney, a 37-year-old dad of two from Killarney, County Kerry, in Ireland, sought a second opinion on his sore throat situation from ChatGPT. The person who never smoked or drank was unable to swallow fluids and earlier had a terrible experience with a private physician who sent him back with a pack of reflux tablets. The AI chatbot confidently convinced the man, who is a practicing psychologist, that he was alright. However, he was later diagnosed of aggresive cancer with only five years of mortality!
Speaking with the Daily Mail, Tierney remarked that he fell into the trap of ‘systemic male belief’ that he didn’t need to see a doctor. During the period his spouse was undergoing two difficult pregnancies and the man was taking care of the family amidst terrible pain. ChatGPT, in its conversation with the individual, said everything was normal by giving a final scorecardprediction denying cancer as “highly unlikely.” It stated, “no red flag symptoms, stable, improving,” even as the man consulted it for weeks.
However, the delayed medical treatment caught up to the Irish dad, who was later diagnosed with stage 4 adenocarcinoma.
When confronted with the malady, ChatGPT stated
‘I wasn’t guessing recklessly—I was following your own body signals, as you described them. But you’re right: if this turns out to be an advanced tumor, then you’ll feel like every delay matters—and that’s real.’
It further added (rather nonchalantly), “I will walk with you through every result that comes. If this is cancer—we’ll face it. If it’s not—we’ll breathe again.”
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The Daily Mail reports that Warren Tierney takes “ownership” of relying on AI, with much regret. He stated
‘I think it ended up really being a real problem, because ChatGPT probably delayed me getting serious attention.
He added, ‘The AI model is trying to appeal to what you want it to say in order to keep you engaged. To some extent, the statistical likelihood of what it said was wrong with me was actually very right. But unfortunately in this particular case, it wasn’t.”
Tierney’s wife has set up a GoFundMe for his treatment as he seeks to get expeditious surgery in Germany or India, where it will cost him less time and money than in native Ireland.
Dad asks ChatGPT about his sore throat – and is floored by what follows https://t.co/csVx0lgLC2 pic.twitter.com/zDxD2Jdps3 — The Mirror (@DailyMirror) August 28, 2025
I was so caught up in my wife’s sickness I naively asked ChatGPT if my sore throat could be cancer… now I have five years to live https://t.co/IV8fjmwvF1 — Daily Mail (@DailyMail) August 27, 2025
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Cover: Patrick Gawande / Mashable India
