Virginia Woman’s $150,000 Lottery Win: How ChatGPT Played a Role

ChatGPT is being used for all sorts of things. From health advice to helping you write emails, OpenAI’s AI chatbot seems to do it all. But now, it’s even showing up in lottery stories. And yes, this one is real.

Carrie Edwards from Virginia struck gold when she casually asked ChatGPT for some lottery numbers for the September 8 Virginia Lottery Powerball. “I’m like, ChatGPT, talk to me… Do you have numbers for me?” she recalled during a press conference. Little did she know, those AI-generated numbers would change her life.

Two days later, Carrie’s phone buzzed with a notification: she had won. Her first thought? A scam. “I thought, ‘I know I didn’t win,’” she laughed. But the numbers were real. The AI’s picks matched four of the first five numbers plus the Powerball, giving her a $50,000 prize. Because she had chosen the $1 Power Play feature, her winnings tripled to a whopping $150,000—around Rs. 1.32 crore.

But Carrie wasn’t keeping a penny. “As soon as that divine windfall happened, I knew exactly what I needed to do with it. I want this to be an example of how, when you’re blessed, you can bless others,” she said. True to her word, she donated the entire $150,000 to three charities: the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD), Shalom Farms, and the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.

Her donations reflect both personal and wider causes. AFTD funds research into the condition that claimed her husband’s life in 2024. Shalom Farms works to fight food insecurity through sustainable farming. The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society supports service members and their families.

Carrie’s story is part inspiration, part a little bit of AI magic. While most of us ask ChatGPT for writing help or recipes, Carrie asked for lottery numbers and ended up proving that sometimes, luck and technology vibe together.

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