The fake disease that fooled AI
- Af
- Afsnit
- 1931
- Udgivet
- 22. maj 2026
- Forlag
- 0 Anmeldelser
- 0
- Afsnit
- 1931 of 1706
- Længde
- 13M
- Sprog
- Engelsk
- Format
- Kategori
- Fakta
Have you ever turned to an artificial intelligence chatbot for medical advice? In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman speaks with researcher Almira Osmanovic Thunström about an experiment in which she created “bixonimania,” a fake disease that AI chatbots easily absorbed and repeated to users. The experiment reveals the pitfalls of using AI to interpret medical results—a habit that’s becoming increasingly common these days.
Recommended Reading:
“Scientists invented a fake disease. AI told people it was real,” by Chris Stokel-Walker, in Nature. Published online April 7, 2026
A third of Americans say they’ve asked AI to decode their medical results
E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!
Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter.
Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Other podcasts you might like ...
- M’usa, con l’apostrofo. Le donne di PicassoLetizia Bravi
- FC PopCornFilm Companion
- Do I Like It?The Quint
- The Big StoryThe Quint
- DiskoteksbrandenAntonio de la Cruz
- Dragon gateEdith Söderström
- En amerikansk epidemiPatrick Stanelius
- En värld i brand: Andra världskriget och sanningenAnton Vretander
- FamiljenFrida Anund
- Hagen-fallet: Spårlöst försvunnenAntonio de la Cruz
- M’usa, con l’apostrofo. Le donne di PicassoLetizia Bravi
- FC PopCornFilm Companion
- Do I Like It?The Quint
- The Big StoryThe Quint
- DiskoteksbrandenAntonio de la Cruz
- Dragon gateEdith Söderström
- En amerikansk epidemiPatrick Stanelius
- En värld i brand: Andra världskriget och sanningenAnton Vretander
- FamiljenFrida Anund
- Hagen-fallet: Spårlöst försvunnenAntonio de la Cruz
