“We are so in hell”: Surgeon roasted for asking ChatGPT medical questions
A surgeon’s attempt to join a lighthearted ChatGPT trend quickly spiraled into accusations of professional irresponsibility and patient safety earlier this month.
Dr. Timby (@dr.timby) shared an Instagram screenshot claiming the AI labeled her “most ridiculous question of the year” as a medical question about extubation, paired with a joke about putting tinfoil in a microwave.
"'Can I extubate someone while on SIMV?'" the LLM echoed at the surgeon, immediately followed by, "'Can I put tinfoil in the microwave?'".
She wrote in the caption of her posts, "ok ok I can explain," not offering further clarification. Soon after, the post appeared on X, where reactions intensified.
Surgeon’s "most ridiculous question" ChatGPT post fuels backlash
While some viewers treated the moment as a joke, many others reacted with concern. People criticized the idea that a surgeon would consult a large language model for medical questions. Early Tuesday morning, Dr. Timby appeared to turn off comments on her original Instagram post.
Several Instagram responses, before they were removed, focused on patient safety. One commenter wrote, "CHATGPT IS NOT A SEARCH ENGINE IT IS NOT GUARANTEED TO GIVE YOU TRUE RESULTS!!!" They continued, "you should NEVER be asking ai questions related to your work," before adding that using it for medical decisions could risk lives.
Another person added, "This is extremely irresponsible as a professional in your field. I’d recommend considering how this impacts yours and your peers reputation."
Others escalated the criticism, telling Dr. Timby that "you should lose your license and face jail time for risking a patients life with chatgpt." Another said, "If you were the only doctor [within] 200 miles, I’d walk 200 miles to see the next doctor."
Reactions spread across platforms
On X, user @hsrsie reposted screenshots of the post and wrote, "a surgeon using chatgpt oh we are so in hell." As the discussion grew, people on X continued to dissect the post.
@van00sa tweeted, "Surgeon who doesn’t know if she can put tinfoil in a microwave.. society is doomed." Similarly, @lipglossgrinss added, "the way she’s not only using chat gpt to ask crucial medical questions but also asking if she can put TIN FOIL in the MICROWAVE."
Some focused on professional expectations. @tananicolexo said, "Not only am I concerned that a surgeon asked chatgpt for medical advice, but I’m deeply concerned that there’s a surgeon who doesn’t know you can’t put tinfoil in the microwave."
Meanwhile, others expressed confusion rather than anger. "In the hospital that I work a lot of doctors and nurses use it… it makes me sick how a person that spent like 10 years studying can’t think for more than two minutes," said @Treacherous_TV.
@LBtheeLeo added, "This really confusing me because those board exams are no joke. She literally has the knowledge within."
@dr.timby did not respond immediately to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via Instagram DM.
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