[hn_throw2025]

True story. A friend was having abdominal pain. They were avoiding seeking medical help, thinking it would pass. The health service is overstretched in our country, and GP appointments can take time. I couldn’t help wondering if it was something more serious, like appendicitis. I discussed their symptoms with a LLM which said it sounds very much like appendicitis, that they should go to the ER immediately, and that they should bring a bag because they would likely be admitted and surgery would follow ASAP.

Guess what happened.

[ndsipa_pomu]

You can diagnose appendicitis using boring old internet searches. As I remember, loss of appetite and the pain moving over time are key.

[hn_throw2025]

Boring old internet searches wouldn’t have taken in the specifics I supplied.

And they mostly just come to a conclusion, rather than actionable advice I was able to pass on, like take a bag and avoid eating because they might want to operate soon.

[ndsipa_pomu]

They're much less likely to be hallucinated falsehoods though

[andrepd]

Hey look, a reference website written by professionals has all the information you need, with no hallucinated falsehoods which are indistinguishable from the point of view of a non-specialist https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/appendicitis/

But it's 2025, so old fashioned.