AI DOCTOR CREATED BY ELON MUSK HIDDEN ON 400 MILLION PHONES
You probably didn't know that millions of phones worldwide are equipped with an AI bot that Elon Musk launched and that has the potential to completely change how Americans obtain healthcare. In 2023, the tech billionaire introduced Grok, based on the same-named large language model (LLM).
Like ChatGPT, it can assist with brainstorming and question-answering; however, Musk has since encouraged Twitter users to test Grok's health recommendations. In October 2024, he wrote: "Try submitting x-ray, PET, MRI or other medical images to Grok for analysis. This is still early stage, but it is already quite accurate and will become extremely good." He added: "Let us know where Grok gets it right or if it needs work."
Additionally, Musk claimed that it would "delve deep, offering insights from spotting peculiarities in your blood work to interpreting those shadowy blobs on your X-rays." The CEO of SpaceX concurred, although acknowledging that it is not a "real doctor," saying: "It's pretty adept at providing initial interpretations. It could indicate whether your cholesterol levels are out of control or whether there is something odd in your MRI that might call for a follow-up visit with a real doctor."
Grok has been incorporated into the Twitter app, and its services are priced at $16 per month for the site's Premium and Premium+ subscribers. However, many users may not have noticed its tab. However, in the US, aprimary care consultation can cost anywhere from $100 to $200, so Grok is a fraction of the price. Musk has recently shared some "success stories" from people trying Grok on themselves, despite some setbacks along the way, such as a broken clavicle being misidentified as a broken shoulder, as reported by The New York Times.
One X user shared a screenshot of their conversation with Grok, writing: "Last week, my best friend had back surgery. Additionally, I assist him with his bandages. "This could be a game-changer for underserved regions with limited access to specialists," said a second, while another concurred, saying, "That is huge." Without a doubt, this will drastically alter the medical sector as a whole."
"This is very personal information, and you don’t exactly know what Grok is going to do with it," Bradley Malin, a professor of biomedical informatics at Vanderbilt University, told The New York Times, expressing some experts’ concerns about sharing personal information with AI. Drs. Harvey Castro and Marc Siegel told Fox Digital that although they see Grok and AI as "promising" beginnings, people should proceed with caution. Siegel added, "Doctors still need to guide the way or be available remotely to oversee guidance."
Although it states in its privacy policy that it doesn't "sell your personal information," Twitter may give information "to certain third parties with information to help us offer or operate our products and services" based on your settings.