Health
fromScienceAlert
1 week agoYour Social Feed Is Buzzing With Health Advice. But Read This First.
About 4 in 10 U.S. adults get health information from social media or podcasts, so credentials and skepticism are essential.
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Google's search feature AI Overviews cites YouTube more than any medical website when answering queries about health conditions, according to research that raises fresh questions about a tool seen by 2 billion people each month. The company has said its AI summaries, which appear at the top of search results and use generative AI to answer questions from users, are reliable and cite reputable medical sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Mayo Clinic.
Don't worry, you can continue to ask ChatGPT all your burning health questions. A series of news articles and X posts on Monday morning, including one post by the prediction market Kalshi, suggested that OpenAI's ChatGPT would no longer offer health advice. That's not entirely accurate. OpenAI can still give you medical information - it just can't pretend to be your doctor.
The Washington law protects "consumer health data," defined as information linkable to a consumer that identifies their "physical or mental health status." This includes all manner of conditions and treatments, such as gender-affirming and reproductive care.