When AI Meets Politics: The Absurdity of Medical Reports in the Digital Age
There’s something deeply unsettling about our current media landscape when ChatGPT’s opinion on a politician’s medical report becomes headline news. The fact that we’re turning to AI to validate what our own eyes can plainly see speaks volumes about where we are as a society.
Working in tech, I’ve witnessed firsthand how AI has evolved from a fascinating curiosity to a source of perceived authority. But here’s the thing - ChatGPT is essentially a sophisticated pattern recognition system. It’s not a medical expert, and it certainly shouldn’t be our go-to source for fact-checking physical examination results.
The medical report in question reads like something straight out of a satirical novel. Having spent countless hours at my local gym in Richmond watching actual athletes train, I can tell you that the claimed measurements are, well, let’s say creative. When you’ve seen genuine athletes maintaining sub-10% body fat through strict dieting and intense training regimens, you develop a pretty good eye for these things.
What’s particularly concerning is how many news outlets are treating AI’s “opinion” as newsworthy. It’s a perfect example of how we’re gradually outsourcing our critical thinking to algorithms. Sure, the AI’s assessment aligns with common sense in this case, but that’s beside the point. We shouldn’t need a computer program to tell us what’s plainly visible.
The broader issue here isn’t just about one questionable medical report - it’s about the erosion of truth in public discourse. When basic facts become negotiable and we need AI to validate reality, we’re in dangerous territory. It reminds me of discussions with my daughter about digital literacy and the importance of questioning sources, even when they seem to confirm our existing beliefs.
The technology exists to help us build better systems, improve healthcare, and solve complex problems. Instead, we’re using it to generate clickbait headlines about obvious untruths. It’s a bit like using a supercomputer to calculate whether water is wet.
The solution isn’t more AI fact-checking - it’s a return to basic critical thinking and honest discourse. We need to stop treating every AI utterance as gospel and start trusting our own judgment again. Maybe then we can have meaningful conversations about health, fitness, and leadership without needing an algorithm to state the obvious.
Until then, I’ll stick to taking my exercise advice from actual fitness professionals, and my medical insights from real doctors. At least they don’t need to be prompted to tell the truth.