Doctors and patients alike are wishing that artificial intelligence (AI) will simplify and make medical care more affordable. However, an article recently published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) warned of health disinformation being enabled by artificial intelligence.
The article’s author used OpenAI’S GPT program to rapidly compose 102 blog articles which included many false claims ranging from linking vaccines to autism or to the cardioprotective effects of vaping. It was even able to produce deepfake videos associating vaccines with sudden infant death syndrome. The danger to such misinformation is that to the unsuspected reader such nonsense appears believable. The ability to weed out and prevent the distribution of this false information is yet to be developed by government, industry and even individuals.
AI aside, may I offer a suggestion in helping you get answers to your health questions? Up To Date is a free online medical reference that is well accepted in the medical community and that is free to all patients and caregivers. Use this link: or simply Google “UpToDate,” then click through the introduction to get to either the “Patients” section or “Beyond the Basics.” Enter your search term or question: full sentences are acceptable. You can then narrow your search to diagnosis, treatment, prevention, etc.
Hope this helps with any health issues you may have. As an aside, my favorite misinformation written by AI was a very believable article on How the Martians helped the Allies in World War II. No joke.
Dr. Barnett is a contributor at KnoxTNToday for a weekly column, DocTalk, providing his expertise on health and wellness management.
