February 9, 2026

Athens News

News in English from Greece

US woman wins $100,000 in Powerball – according to numbers suggested by ChatGPT


A woman from the USA became the owner $100,000 in the lottery Powerball thanks to the numbers he offered her ChatGPT. According to her, the decision was spontaneous: “I asked ChatGPT which numbers to choose and just wrote them down on the ticket

The winner, who introduced herself as Carveyadmitted that at first she thought she had won $50,000 by checking the results on the website. However, later, after logging into your personal account on Michigan Lotterydiscovered that I had activated the option Power Playwhich doubles your winnings. Thus, the final amount was $100,000.

My husband and I couldn’t believe it. We checked the ticket several times before we realized it was actually true.“Carvey told reporters. The woman has already received a prize in the office Michigan Lottery and plans to use some of the money to pay off the mortgage and save the rest.

Lottery warns: AI is not a predictor

Representatives Michigan Lottery emphasized that “The results of all drawings are determined randomly“and cannot be predicted”no artificial intelligence tools” Nevertheless, Carvey’s story instantly spread across the American media, becoming one of the most discussed examples of “luck with technological overtones.”

Experts note that such cases fuel interest in AI servicesbut at the same time they create the illusion that algorithms can “guess fate.” In reality, the winning remains pure chance as before – it just now has a digital collaborator.

When luck is just chance

The story of an American woman who won $100,000 with numbers from ChatGPTsounds like a triumph of technology, but it’s really just a brilliantly packaged case. Chance to guess the desired combination in Powerball – approximately one in 1.6 million. This means that, theoretically, such a win could happen even if the numbers were chosen by a child, a cat, or a random number generator.

Artificial Intelligence is here didn’t “predict the future”, but simply suggested a random set of numberswhich is purely by chance coincided with the result. The lottery does not obey any algorithms – it has no patterns that can be calculated. Math is merciless: the probability of winning is the same for everyone and does not depend on intelligence, technology or belief in digital predictions.

The scientific paradox is that people tend to look for meaning in randomness. We attribute success to the form of a pattern – even where only the theory of probability applies. That’s why some people believe in “lucky numbers,” others in dreams, and now in artificial intelligence. But in essence it is the same mechanism: the desire to give meaning to chaos.

We can say that ChatGPT in this story has become just a new mascot – like a horseshoe, only electronic. But if algorithms could really predict lotteries, stock exchanges would long ago have turned into deserts, and mathematicians would have lived in castles. For now the only guaranteed gain is the pleasure of the illusion of participation.

Powerball: What’s the Real Probability?

Winning Powerball is purely a matter of chance. Neither “lucky” numbers nor AI increase the chance. Below are the actual probabilities per ticket.

Jackpot (5+Powerball)

1 to 292 201 338
$1,000,000 (5 matches)

1 to 11 688 054
$50,000 (4+PB)

1 in 913 129
$100 (4 matches)

1 in 36,525
$100 (3+PB)

1 in 14,494
Small prizes (3 / 2+PB / 1+PB / 0+PB)

from 1 to 580 to 1 to 38
Power Play (multiplier for non-premium prizes):

x2 ≈ 57% • x3 ≈ 31% • x4 ≈ 7% • x5 ≈ 5% • x10 ≈ 2% (x10 is not always available)
Example from the article: winning $50,000 × Power Play x2 = $100,000. The complex probability of such an outcome ≈ 1 to ~1.6 million.

Conclusion: mathematics is merciless – all chances are equal. Artificial intelligence, cat or luck work the same way.





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