ChatGPT, the AI-powered chatbot, is taking over many of the roles held by Google before. In the past year, its ability to search for advice on diet and nutrition has been deeply embraced. Even though it’s undeniably convenient, the potential harm of this technology has been overlooked. People are turning to ChatGPT for custom meal plans, some of which don’t even fit into the bounds of medical consensus. Consequently, some might fall prey to nutritional misinformation, fuelling disordered eating behaviors.
Desiree Nielsen, RD, a registered dietician, host of The Allsorts Podcast, and author of various cookbooks, has long been a proponent of healthy eating habits. However, she recognizes the gravity of the situation and the potential for the AI-generated dietary information to be damaging. Both she and experts who reviewed a handful of bot-created meal plans expressed concerns. Many of these plans lacked recipes and were often inaccurate, leading to a potential for discouraging results.
The potential for ChatGPT to cause further harm further propagates the need for users to be wary of the advice they seek from it. With little restriction on what one can ask it, it can serve up dangerous dietary advice from its vast amounts of data. It is important to know that AI technology is far from foolproof, and online resources should not be the only source of dietary advice. Moreover, it is even more important to be mindful of what sorts of advice are sought from the chatbot.
ChatGPT has been the subject of many conversations since its launch, but it is essential to not forget the impact it can have on user’s health. Despite the convenience it offers and the appealing aesthetic of its algorithm’s meal plans, users should be careful to assess how accurate or applicable the advice they receive may actually be and take other medical advice into consideration before following a plan suggested by the bot.
