The dual impact of AI on public health: Ethical risk of AI-generated case reports

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is revolutionizing healthcare by advancing the means of diagnosis, treatment planning, and medical education. However, the generation of erroneous yet highly credible output — for example, the creation of a completely imaginary case study in idiopathic neurovascular compression syndrome (INCS) — poses the threat of misinformation and the possible undermining of human expertise. This short communication highlights the dual role of AI by emphasizing the need for caution through a fabricated INCS case created by Grok, a highly proficient AI model. AI certainly aids efficiency, but cannot and must never be allowed to replace the subtle evaluative work of human physicians, casting an even greater responsibility on us to provide critical oversight.