The Audio Long Read ‘DeepSeek is humane. Doctors are more like machines’: my mother’s worrying reliance on AI for health advice
30 snips
Dec 12, 2025 A mother turns to a chatbot for kidney disease advice after facing exhausting doctor commutes. She finds DeepSeek more compassionate than rushed doctors, leading to lifestyle changes based on its recommendations. However, concerns arise about AI’s reliability, including risks of biased advice and critical errors. The episode explores how chatbots are filling gaps in strained health systems, and the nuanced trust between technology and human caregivers, as the family navigates this new medical landscape.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Patient Turns To AI Instead Of Long Commutes
- A 57-year-old kidney transplant patient began using DeepSeek for diagnoses and lifestyle guidance instead of frequent long trips to specialists.
- She uploaded scans, followed medication changes recommended by the bot, and called it her "best health advisor."
Always-Available AI Masks Significant Risks
- Chatbots are integrating into many parts of society, promising always-on support for vulnerable people who lack medical attention.
- But experts warn hallucinations and biases in AI models make outsourcing care risky and potentially dangerous.
Humane Tone Beats Clinical Rush For Patient
- The narrator's mother preferred DeepSeek, saying "DeepSeek is more humane" and calling doctors "more like machines."
- Her family history and strained doctor interactions pushed her toward the chatbot's empathetic interface.