Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Elon Musk
Podcast. This is a show where we discuss
the critical crossroads that shape SpaceX, Tesla X, The
Boring Company, and Neurolink. I'm your host, Will Walden.
So what happens when a tech giant like Elon Musk encourages
users to share their medical images with an artificial
intelligence tool? Now, could Grok revolutionize
diagnostics, or does it pose a serious privacy risk?
And why are privacy experts raising alarms about this new
experiment on X? So over the past weeks, users of
the X platform have been uploading personal medical
scans, X-rays, Mris, and more to Grok, an AI chat bot developed
by Musk's company X AI. They're asking for analysis,
seemingly eager to test Musk's claim that Grok is poised to
become extremely good in interpreting medical data.
But this move has sparked sharp debates among privacy advocates,
medical professionals, and AI experts.
Now Elon Musk introduced Grok as a cutting edge AI system
designed to offer fast, witty and sometimes provocative
answers leveraging real time knowledge from the X platform.
It was first unveiled in late 2023 and by mid 2024, Grok had
advanced to handling complex visual inputs, including medical
images. And Musk's Reek sent
encouragement to submit health scans has added a new dimension
to its functionality, but also intensified scrutiny.
Now, unlike more conventional medical AI systems developed in
collaboration with hospitals or researchers, Grok was trained on
public social media data, a method that raises ethical
concerns. And Musk pitched the chatbot as
a tool for users to seek medical insights, either as a
preliminary analysis or a second opinion.
Now, Musk said, this is still early stage but is already quite
accurate and will become extremely good.
This openness has attracted both laypeople and professionals
curious to see if the AI can match human expertise.
Now, reports from users show a range of outcomes.
Some praise Grok for his ability to recognize medical conditions.
One individual said, had it checked out my brain tumor, not
bad at all. While others highlighted glaring
errors, like mistaking a broken clavicle for a dislocated
shoulder. Physicians have also tested the
tool. An immunologist from the Jackson
Laboratory noted success after tweaking his input prompt.
The response is very thorough and impressive, though, he said,
describing Grok's diagnosis of a X-ray now.
Others, like Doctor Laura Heacock, a radiologist and
researcher at NYU Imaging, were less satisfied.
Testing Grok with a set of breast radiology images, Heacock
reported 0 accurate diagnosis. In one case, the AI mistook an
obvious cancerous mass for calcifications.
For now, non generative AI methods continue to outperform
in medical imaging, Heacock said.
Now, privacy concerns are a big deal.
Musk's invitation to share sensitive medical data has
sparked outrage among privacy experts.
Medical information uploaded to Grok falls outside the
protection of the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act HIPAA, and HIPAA governs data handled by
healthcare professionals, providers, insurers and their
partners, but it doesn't extend to social media platforms like X
or their affiliated AI tools. Brandy Malin, a biomechanical
Sorry, a biomedical informatics professor at Vanderbilt
University, criticized the casual nature of data sharing
with Grok. He said posting personal
information to Grok is more like, we let's throw this data
out there and hope the company is going to do what I want them
to do, he remarked. XS privacy policy states that
while the company doesn't sell user data to third parties, it
does share information with related entities.
This ambiguity fuels fears about how the data might be used.
Matthew McCoy, an assistant professor of medical ethics at
the University of Pennsylvania, expressed skepticism about the
tool safeguards, saying, As an individual user, would I feel
comfortable contributing health data?
Absolutely not. You know, sharing health data on
platforms like X risks creating a permanent digital footprint
that could lead to unintended consequences.
Consider a PET scan showing early signs of Alzheimer's
disease. If linked to a user's online
identity, such data could be exploited by future employers,
insurers, or even housing associations.
While laws like the Genetic Non Discrimination Act offers some
protection, loopholes remain for entities like life insurance
providers. Moreover, there's the question
of how Grok itself uses the data.
The company claims that users control whether their inputs are
used to improve the AI, but experts warn that most users
lack the technical literacy to fully understand or manage these
settings. Now, even with safeguards in
place, the risk of data breaches or misuse loom large.
Beyond privacy, Grok's medical accuracy remains a pressing
issue. Experts stress that training a
robust AI for healthcare requires high quality, diverse
data sets and deep collaboration with medical professionals.
Without these elements, AI systems risk producing
unreliable or even dangerous outputs.
SU Chi Surya, director of the Medicine, Learning and
Healthcare Lab at John Hopkins Johns Hopkins University,
compared untrained AI tools to a hobbyist chemist mixing
ingredients in the kitchen sink. She said that the potential for
harm if users act on inaccurate diagnosis leads to unnecessary
tests or treatments. Dr. Soraya also highlighted the
significant challenges of integrating AI like Grok into
clinical systems, where rigorous validation and adherence to
ethical guidelines are paramount now.
While tools like Grok might enhance workflows in the future,
the current state lacks the recision required for critical
healthcare applications. Grok has already attracted
regulatory attention in Europe. Privacy regulators have flagged
the tool for potential violations of the General Data
Protection Regulation, GDPR. The Irish Data Protection
Commission recently petitioned the courts to stop X from using
social media data to train Grok, citing concerns over data
harvesting practices in the US. Grok faces scrutiny from
government officials worried about a is role in spreading
misinformation. Minnesota Secretary of State
even urged X to direct election related queries to verified
sources like Can I vote.org Now? Musk's response to these
criticisms has been dismissive. In August, XAI called European
regulators actions unwarranted and defended its decision to let
users opt in or out of data sharing.
Unlike the rest of the AI industry, we choose to provide a
simple control to all X users, the company stated, positioning
itself as a defender of user autonomy.
Now, Musk's interest in AI extends beyond Grok, though.
His other ventures, including Neurolink, have a broader
ambition to merge human intelligence and technology.
Neurolink recently received FDA approval for a brain computer
interface aimed at restoring vision in blind individuals.
In such developments demonstrate Musk's commitment to positioning
AI at the forefront of healthcare innovation.
And despite these advancements, though Musk's approach has often
clashed with ethical concerns, his long standing warnings about
the existential risks of AI contrast sharply with his
promotion of tools like Rock, which critics argue are being
deployed without significant oversight now.
For now, Grok offers intriguing possibilities but also
significant risks. Users should exercise caution
before uploading sensitive medical data, especially given
the uncertainties around privacy and accuracy.
And as the tool evolves, though, it may become a more reliable
resource. But for now, it remains an
experimental platform with serious ethical and practical
limitations. Hey, thank you so much for
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