Just a few years after its launch, ChatGPT has evolved into a go-to digital assistant for tasks ranging from quick searches to event planning. While it undeniably offers convenience, treating it as an all-knowing authority can be risky. ChatGPT is a large language model, not an infallible source of truth, and it is prone to misinformation and fabricated responses. Understanding where its usefulness ends is crucial.
Here are five important areas where experts strongly advise turning to real people, not AI chatbots:
- Medical advice
ChatGPT cannot be trusted with health-related decisions. It is known to provide confident yet inaccurate information, and it may even acknowledge errors only after being corrected. Even healthcare professionals experimenting with AI agree that it can offer only broad, generic insights — not tailored guidance based on individual symptoms.
Despite this, the chatbot can still respond if you ask, "Hey, what's that sharp pain in my side?", instead of urging you to seek urgent medical care. The core issue is that chatbots cannot distinguish fact from fiction. They generate responses by blending massive amounts of data, regardless of accuracy.
ChatGPT is not, and likely never will be, a licensed medical professional. While it may provide references if asked, those sources must be carefully verified. In several cases, people have reported real harm after following chatbot-generated health advice.
- Therapy
Mental health support is essential, yet often expensive. Even so-called "cheap" online therapy platforms can cost around $65 per session, and insurance coverage remains limited. While it may be tempting to confide in a chatbot, this can be dangerous.
One major concern is ChatGPT’s tendency toward agreement and validation. In therapy, this can be harmful, as it may encourage behaviors or beliefs that are objectively damaging. Effective mental health care requires an external, trained professional who can challenge harmful thought patterns rather than reinforce them.
There is also an ongoing lawsuit alleging that ChatGPT contributed to a teen’s suicide — a claim OpenAI denies. Regardless of the legal outcome, the case highlights the risks of relying on AI for mental health support. Even advocates of AI-assisted therapy admit that its limitations are significant.
- Advice during emergencies
In emergencies, every second counts. Whether it’s a fire, accident, or medical crisis, turning to ChatGPT for instructions is a gamble. Incorrect advice in such situations can lead to severe injury or death.
Preparation is far more reliable than last-minute AI guidance. Learning basic skills like CPR or the Heimlich maneuver, participating in fire drills, and keeping emergency equipment on hand can save lives. If possible, always call emergency services rather than relying on a chatbot. This is one scenario where AI is least dependable.
- Password generation
Using ChatGPT to create passwords may seem harmless, but it carries serious security risks. There is a strong possibility that the chatbot could generate identical or predictable passwords for multiple users. Without precise instructions, the suggested passwords may also lack sufficient complexity.
Additionally, chatbots often struggle with basic constraints, such as character counts. More importantly, ChatGPT stores prompts and outputs to improve its systems, raising concerns about sensitive data being reused or exposed.
Instead, experts recommend dedicated password generators offered by trusted password managers or reputable online tools, which are specifically designed with security in mind.
- Future predictions
If even leading experts struggle to predict the future accurately, it’s unrealistic to expect ChatGPT to do better. Since AI models frequently get present-day facts wrong, their long-term forecasts are even less reliable.
Using ChatGPT to decide which stocks to buy, which team will win, or which career path will be most profitable is unwise. While it can be entertaining to ask speculative questions about humanity centuries from now, such responses should be treated as curiosity-driven thought experiments — not actionable guidance.
ChatGPT can be a helpful tool when used appropriately, but knowing its limitations is essential. For critical decisions involving health, safety, security, or mental well-being, real professionals remain irreplaceable.
