Virginia woman uses ChatGPT to win $150K Powerball jackpot and donates every cent of it
Published on Sep 18, 2025 at 3:00 PM (UTC-4)
by Daisy Edwards
Last updated on Sep 18, 2025 at 3:00 PM (UTC-4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
A vigilante woman from Virginia used ChatGPT to win the $150K Powerball jackpot, and she shocked everyone by donating every cent of it.
Carrie Edwards, a grandmother from Virginia, struck gold with a $150,000 Powerball win, and she used an interesting tactic to try to predict the winning numbers.
Instead of pocketing the money that was rightfully hers, she stunned everyone by donating 100 percent of her winnings to a charity that was very close to her heart.
While ChatGPT reminded her that it’s all luck, the chatbot managed to successfully generate the winning lottery numbers – so it wasn’t cheating.
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A woman used ChatGPT to win the $150K Powerball jackpot
Meet Carrie Edwards, the unlikely winner of the $150,000 Powerball jackpot in her home state of Virginia.
She has a lot to thank recent tech developments for.
Instead of just picking numbers that were sentimental to her, like a birthday of a loved one, she revealed that she asked OpenAI’s ChatGPT to generate potential lottery numbers.
Even though the AI reminded her that it’s all luck, the numbers that she picked happened to be the successful choice, and she was overwhelmed to win the full $150,000 jackpot.
But, she shocked everyone by doing something very heartwarming instead of pocketing all the money that was rightfully hers.
She donated every cent of her winnings
Edwards briefly considered keeping half of her winnings and donating the other half, but she felt strongly compelled to donate the full amount to charity.
One of the charities she chose supports dementia research, which was a touching tribute to her late husband Steve, who passed away from frontotemporal degeneration in 2023.
Steve was an American hero and responded to the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon and captured the historic photo of a flag being draped across the building.
Edwards thinks that her late husband would 100 percent support her decision to donate the whole jackpot to charity.
A very heartwarming story, indeed.
Daisy is a technology and automotive journalist covering artificial intelligence, consumer tech, Apple news, cryptocurrency, emerging technologies, and transportation innovation. Since joining the team in 2025, she has reported on everything from AI-powered startups and major iOS updates to viral car stories and the latest developments shaping transportation and the digital economy. Drawing on her background in automotive journalism and a degree in History and Journalism from Goldsmiths, University of London, Daisy specializes in breaking down complex topics into clear, engaging reporting for a global audience. Her work spans cutting-edge technology, innovative vehicles, and the people driving change across both industries. Daisy has gained first-hand access to some of the world's most talked-about technologies and innovators, including meeting Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot during its first European appearance in London. She has also discussed the future of space exploration with an astronaut, bringing unique insights and real-world perspectives to her coverage of emerging technology.
