People paid for health advice from GPT chat. The Patient Rights Ombudsman took up the case
There was an internet portal on the web that provided health advice via artificial intelligence. Each of them had to be paid for. The case was publicized by Rynek Zdrowia. The Patient Rights Ombudsman and law enforcement agencies became interested.
The website that stirred up a stir among the media and law enforcement was LekarzAI. It was supposedly created to “help analyze symptoms, interpret test results, and provide health information.” There would be nothing shocking about it if the services were provided by knowledgeable and experienced physicians. However, the service did not employ professionals. Health advice was provided by the GPT chat.
The service is currently no longer operational. After opening the site, only a white card appears on the screen without any information. Only archived information about its activities circulates online. It is worth emphasizing that the Internet is not the best place to seek medical help. In the event of disturbing signals from the body, you should seek help from a primary care physician or a doctor of the appropriate specialization. However, as a warning, we describe the controversial activities of LekarzAI.
What was the controversial activity of the LekarzAI portal?
Questions sent by patients were answered, as Rynek Zdrowia reports, by “Dr Stefan – an advanced medical chatbot that is able to precisely understand health needs, analyzes test results and a detailed description of symptoms to prepare appropriate recommendations.” However, this was not an advanced and specialized medical algorithm, but a “regular” ChatGPT-4.
And for obtaining advice, you had to pay by purchasing the appropriate package. The cheapest cost almost PLN 25, the most expensive – almost four times more. The individual packages were differentiated by, among other things, the number of queries and available functions. People who decided to purchase the unlimited option could ask an unlimited number of questions, record messages, upload photos for diagnostics and receive priority support.
However, it is not known who was behind the portal’s activity. As Rynek Zdrowia reports, its owners remain anonymous. There is also no information on how the portal used the collected customer data. The service’s regulations included information that the administrator of personal data is LekarzAI based in Tarnów.
LekarzAI under the microscope of the Patient Rights Ombudsman
The Patient Rights Ombudsman and the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection have become interested in the portal’s activities. “The available information clearly shows that the offered services in the field of health advice, interpretation of disease symptoms or test results are not performed by a doctor, and this is done using OpenAI ChatGPT-4 technology. It should be noted that the persons or entities running it are responsible for the above-mentioned service and services,” notes Bartłomiej Chmielowiec in an interview with Rynek Zdrowia. It is worth emphasizing that the owners of the portal may be held criminally liable for their actions. The Patient Rights Ombudsman has filed an appropriate notification with law enforcement agencies.