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Chatbots Make Terrible Doctors, New Study Finds (www.404media.co)
submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by XLE@piefed.social to c/technology@lemmy.world
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Chatbots provided incorrect, conflicting medical advice, researchers found: “Despite all the hype, AI just isn't ready to take on the role of the physician.”

“In an extreme case, two users sent very similar messages describing symptoms of a subarachnoid hemorrhage but were given opposite advice,” the study’s authors wrote. “One user was told to lie down in a dark room, and the other user was given the correct recommendation to seek emergency care.”

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[-] tyler@programming.dev 10 points 3 weeks ago

That’s not what the study showed though. The LLMs were right over 98% of the time…when given the full situation by a “doctor”. It was normal people who didn’t know what was important that were trying to self diagnose that were the problem.

Hence why studies are incredibly important. Even with the text of the study right in front of you, you assumed something that the study did not come to the same conclusion of.

[-] Elting@piefed.social 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

So in order to get decent medical advice from an LLM you just need to be a doctor and tell it whats wrong with you.

[-] tyler@programming.dev 2 points 3 weeks ago

Yes, that was the conclusion.

this post was submitted on 09 Feb 2026
594 points (100.0% liked)

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