Man sues Douyin AI app after incorrect burial date advice precedes family accident
A man in China sued the AI chatbot Doubaochat after it provided conflicting advice about an auspicious burial date for his mother; shortly after proceeding with the April 19 date the app suggested, a family member was seriously injured in a traffic accident, which the family attributed to the incorrect date. The AI company's user agreement disclaims professional liability and places responsibility on users.
What happened
On April 17, 2026, the mother of Mr. Shi died, and his family discussed when to arrange her burial. Mr. Shi used the AI app Doubaochat to ask for an auspicious burial date (黄道吉日). The app initially recommended April 19 as an auspicious date.
Mr. Shi then told his family to accept April 19, but the app later indicated that April 19 was not actually an auspicious date. By then, arrangements had been made and changing the date was difficult, so the burial proceeded as planned.
Reported impact
A few days after the funeral, a family relative suffered a serious traffic accident injury. The family attributed this to the incorrect burial date and believed it had disrupted the feng shui.
Mr. Shi filed a lawsuit against Doubaochat's operator demanding an apology and compensation. The case was heard in Jiangshan County People's Court.
Index analysis
Doubaochat's user agreement states that the app's content is for reference only and should not be treated as professional advice. It recommends consulting relevant professionals for matters with major impact, and states that users bear all responsibility for any decisions or actions based on the app's output.
A lawyer noted that Mr. Shi faces significant difficulty in proving the case, as he must demonstrate that the service provider was at fault and that this fault had a causal relationship to the actual harm—a very difficult evidentiary burden.
Governance controls
Doubaochat's user agreement includes disclaimers that content is for reference only and recommends professional consultation for significant matters. The agreement places responsibility for outcomes entirely on users.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.