Same tool, two very different outcomes

From the talk

AI is already part of health care, whether we like it or not. One year ago, about 1 in 6 adults used AI for health information. Today it is 1 in 3 (Rock Health survey of 8,000 US adults).

In one year, the number of American adults using AI for health questions grew from about 43 million to about 86 million. So the question is not whether people will use it. It is how.

Two stories from the news. The first is a warning. A man read about the harms of salt and asked AI what to use instead.

It suggested sodium bromide, a chemical used in pool treatment today. He followed the advice and was hospitalized. The second is a miracle.

Courtney Hofmann took her son Alex to 17 doctors over 3 years. She typed his symptoms and MRI notes into ChatGPT, and it suggested tethered cord syndrome. A neurosurgeon confirmed it, and Alex had surgery.

Many of you waited a long time for your own sarcoidosis diagnosis, so this story may feel familiar. Same tool. The difference is how it was used.

Read the slide as text

• The difference is not whether you use AI. It is how you use it.
• 16% → 32%
• 43M → 86M
• of adults use AI for health information: from 1 in 6 to 1 in 3 in one year
• American adults using AI for health questions, in just one year
• THE WARNING
• THE MIRACLE
• A man asked AI how to replace table salt. It suggested sodium bromide. He followed the answer and ended up in the hospital.
• A mother saw 17 doctors in 3 years. AI suggested a rare diagnosis from her son’s symptoms and MRI notes, and a neurosurgeon confirmed it.
• Sources: Rock Health, 2026; U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 (adult population estimate)