A popular AI chatbot, asked to build a healthy weekly meal plan for a 15-year-old, produced a diet averaging about 700 fewer calories per day than a dietitian's recommendation and lacking key micronutrients - advice that could leave a growing teenager undernourished.
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Expert: Dr. Ayşe Betül Bilen, Lead study author, Istanbul Atlas University (Frontiers in Nutrition) A study published in Frontiers in Nutrition found AI chatbots routinely generate meal plans for teenagers that are dangerously low in calories - on average about 700 fewer calories per day than human dietitians recommend - and that often don't provide enough nutrients. Dr. Ayşe Betül Bilen of Istanbul Atlas University, the study's lead author, said AI platforms should not replace professional guidance for children and adolescents, whose nutritional needs are unique. With nearly two-thirds of teens using chatbots and roughly 30% using them daily, the risk of teenagers following calorie- and nutrient-poor AI diet plans is significant. AI models lack the clinical context - growth stage, activity level, medical history - that a professional dietary assessment provides, and their fluent, confident output masks that gap. Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/teenagers-eating-advice-ai-chatbots-b2937417.html
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