A resident of Jiashan, surnamed Shi, has decided to sue the developer of the AI application Doubao. The user sought the AI's advice on selecting a burial date for his late mother, which the system initially recommended as April 19.
After finalizing the arrangements, Shi consulted the AI again, only for the application to state that April 19 was not an appropriate date. Due to the short notice and already sent invitations, the funeral proceeded as planned. Following the event, a relative was involved in a serious traffic accident.
The Doubao user agreement specifies that generated content is for reference only and does not constitute professional advice. It explicitly states that users bear full responsibility for any actions or consequences resulting from the AI's output.
Legal experts note that pursuing a lawsuit is challenging, as the plaintiff must prove both fault by the service provider and a direct causal link between the AI's response and the damages incurred. The AI itself even provided instructions to the user on how to file the lawsuit.
This incident is part of a broader trend of AI-related errors, including incorrect medical advice, misidentified mushrooms, and inaccurate agricultural guidance. ByteDance, the parent company of Doubao, has previously advised users to verify AI responses for critical decisions.
