Lauren Bannon, a mom juggling life between North Carolina and the U.S. Virgin Islands, noticed something odd in February 2024. Her fingers were stiff and bending them was tough, especially in the mornings and evenings. Despite testing negative, doctors told the 40-year-old she had rheumatoid arthritis.
Things took a turn when Bannon started losing weight rapidly, shedding 14 pounds in a month, and suffering from severe stomach pains. Doctors chalked it up to acid reflux. Frustrated and seeking answers, she turned to ChatGPT, a chatbot by OpenAI, hoping for some guidance.
Surprisingly, ChatGPT suggested she might have Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks the thyroid gland. Even though her doctor was skeptical, Bannon insisted on getting tested in September 2024. To her shock, the test results matched ChatGPT’s suggestion, even though she had no family history of the disease.
An ultrasound revealed two small lumps in her thyroid, diagnosed as cancer in October 2024. Reflecting on the experience, Bannon expressed her frustration with the medical system, saying, “I needed to find out what was happening to me, I just felt so desperate. I just wasn’t getting the answers I needed.”
Bannon, who had been using ChatGPT for work, asked the chatbot about conditions that mimic rheumatoid arthritis. It advised her to check her thyroid peroxidase antibody levels, leading to her eventual diagnosis. “It saved my life,” she said, acknowledging the role ChatGPT played in her discovery.
In January 2025, Bannon underwent surgery to remove her thyroid and two lymph nodes. She will continue to be monitored for cancer recurrence. “If I hadn’t looked on ChatGPT, I would’ve just taken the rheumatoid arthritis medication and the cancer would’ve spread from my neck to everywhere else,” she noted.
Dr. Harvey Castro, an emergency medicine physician, acknowledges the potential of AI tools like ChatGPT in healthcare. However, he emphasizes that AI should not replace medical expertise. “These tools can assist, alert and even comfort — but they can’t diagnose, examine or treat,” he told Fox News Digital.
Bannon encourages others to use AI tools cautiously for health queries, suggesting people ask their doctors to test them if something concerning comes up. She feels fortunate to have caught the cancer in time and credits the technology with playing a crucial role.
OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, was contacted for comment by Fox News, but no response was reported. Melissa Rudy, a senior health editor at Fox News Digital, contributed to this story.
