Health Misinformation Round Up 2023: The AI Twist in 2023 Health Hoaxes
Remember, AI isn't the danger, bad data is.
By Sunanda Naik Published on 31 Dec 2023 3:27 AM GMT
In a world where misinformation travels faster than ever, the impact on public health is profound. From COVID vaccine scares in 2021 to the rise of bogus COVID cures, the challenge in health misinformation has only intensified. But as we bid farewell to 2023, a new player has entered the stage: AI-generated health misinformation.
Since late 2023, we've witnessed a surge in fake AI videos featuring an AI-generated doctor, known as "AI Doctorji." In these videos, the AI doc talks about home remedies, but the information is not just wrong ā it's also risky and can harm people.
Not only were AI videos a problem for NewsMeter, but there's something even trickier ā deepfakes.
Imagine trusted news anchors like Ravish Kumar unknowingly being part of spreading false health info. Let me break it down.
Before mid-2023, we thought AI struggled with non-English languages, but a video featuring Ravish Kumar speaking in Hindi showed us how wrong we were. This fake video wasn't about news; it promoted bogus diabetes supplements, and it's all thanks to this sneaky tech. Videos of many other prominent news anchors were also used to promote fake medicines.
The World Health Organization has also warned about using AI in healthcare. While they see AI's potential to enhance health info access and diagnostics, WHO is also concerned whether the data used to train AI could be biased, leading to misleading or inaccurate info.
As we enter 2024, let's be smart about health info online. Look out for reliable sources, and together, we can keep our community informed and safe from misleading AI-generated content.
