AI Health & Biotechnology
AI Chatbots Give Misleading Medical Advice 50% of the Time
A BMJ Open study finds major AI tools provide inaccurate health information and fabricated citations.
An editorial illustration of a smartphone screen showing a complex medical chart with a stethoscope lying on top, symbolizing the intersection of AI technology and healthcare advice.
Photo: Kronos Digital News
Five popular AI chatbots provide "somewhat" or "highly" problematic medical advice in half of all cases, according to a study published in BMJ Open [1][2]. Researchers tested ChatGPT, Gemini, Meta AI, Grok, and DeepSeek against common health queries [1][3]. The audit revealed that these tools frequently present inaccurate information or fabricated citations as factual [2]. These AI tools often respond with high confidence even when providing misinformation [1]. This trend is particularly dangerous in specialized areas such as nutrition and stem cell therapies [2][3]. Experts warn that reliance on these automated tools for high-risk medical decisions poses significant safety concerns [1].
Editorial notes
Transparency note
Drafted with LLM; human-edited
- AI assisted
- Yes
- Human review
- Yes
- Last updated
Risk assessment
Reviewed for sourcing quality and editorial consistency.
Sources
Related stories
View all
Topics
About the author
Kronos Digital News Desk covers ai health & biotechnology and editorial analysis for Kronos Digital News.