AI system
- System
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Grok chatbot (xAI) on X, image analysis of an uploaded wrist X-ray
- Model
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Grok 2, according to the poster.
Editor’s note. The poster referred to Elon Musk’s statement about Grok 2 reading medical images. That identifies a plausible model, but does not establish the model used in the posted conversation.
- Release
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Exact release not established.
- Application developer
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xAI - Role
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Grok analyzed an uploaded X-ray and identified a possible fracture.
- Configuration
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Not assessed
- Inputs and outputs
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Not assessed
- Autonomy
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Not assessed
- Workflow
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A printed urgent-care wrist X-ray that the parent could photograph and upload. Grok on X with image input, which Musk was publicly promoting for medical images in January 2025. A parent who distrusted the first reading because of worsening signs (cold, tingling hand; immobile thumb; a wrist that did not look right). She had already asked for the films for the PCP. Access within days to a PCP referral and a wrist specialist who re-imaged and examined the wrist.
- Human oversight
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An orthopedist examined the X-ray and diagnosed the fracture.
- Relation to AI
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Screenshots attached to the post show Grok answering three questions about the uploaded image. It said there is “a clear fracture line visible in the distal radius”. It said the line is “a fracture line rather than a fused growth plate”. It said the break is “quite obvious” with “dorsal displacement”. Each time it advised a professional consultation. The orthopaedist's reading matched. But the mother states that she did not mention Grok to the specialist and that the diagnosis was “completely independent”. She had already asked for the X-ray prints to take to the PCP. Grok's contribution was therefore to strengthen her resolve to seek a second opinion. Everything rests on her account. No clinician, clinic or record has spoken publicly. The next day Grok told a physician who asked that it cannot diagnose medical injuries.
- AI contribution
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Grok identified a possible wrist fracture in an uploaded X-ray and advised medical consultation. The mother reported that its answers strengthened her decision to seek a second opinion.
Benefits
- Outcome identifiers
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Not assessed
- Benefit
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By her mother's X post of 11 January 2025, Grok flagged a displaced wrist fracture urgent care missed; an orthopaedist confirmed and cast it.
- Category
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Improved Physical Health
- Status
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Not assessed
- Beneficiary groups
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People.
- Beneficiaries
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Not assessed
- Reach
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Not assessed
- Distribution and access
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Not assessed
- Duration
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Not assessed
- Expected?
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Yes
- Costs and harms
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Not assessed
Measurement
- Studies
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Not assessed
- Study design
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Not assessed
- Measurement
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Not assessed
- Setting and sample
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Not assessed
- Measures
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Not assessed
- Comparison
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Assumed alternative: the urgent-care doctor's and radiologist's reading of the same X-rays
- Results
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Assumed comparison. Reference: Both the doctor who saw her and the radiologist declared her free of breaks and, after answering some of our questions, sent her home with an ace wrap and ibuprofen. Result: the wrist specialist took new x-rays (multiple views), examined her, and confirmed Grok’s diagnosis of a distal radial head fracture with dorsal displacement.
- Additional value from AI
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Not assessed
- Limitations
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The account and screenshots come from the mother. She said that the specialist reached an independent diagnosis and that she had not mentioned Grok. No clinician or medical record independently verifies the sequence.
- Denominators
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Not assessed
- Materials for replication
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Not assessed
Money
- Kind of value
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Not assessed
- Amount
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Not assessed
- Currency and prices
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Not assessed
- Period and unit
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Not assessed
- Realization
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Not assessed
- Recipients and payers
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Not assessed
- Gross or net
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Not assessed
- Included costs
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Not assessed
- Comparison
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Not assessed
- Method
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Not assessed
- Return and payback
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Not assessed
People and places
- Participants
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Developer:
xAI. Operator: X Corp (Grok on the X platform). - Jurisdictions
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Developer:
United States. Operator: United States. - Ownership and control
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Not assessed
- Dependencies
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Not assessed
- Cross-border connections
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Not assessed
- Geopolitical implications
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Not assessed
Follow-up
- Conditions for replication
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Grok's reading was correct for this image on the mother's account only. Asked by a physician the next day, it said it cannot diagnose injuries. So its output is not reliable across users or images. A clinician re-examined and re-imaged the wrist. Grok's output was never used as the diagnosis or the basis of treatment. The only sources are the mother's post and news reports built from it. No clinic, clinician or record is public, and the surgery-avoidance statement is second-hand.
- Replication attempts
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Not assessed
- Later findings
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No dated follow-up on the daughter or statement from xAI is established. Reports that radiologists disputed the interpretation of her X-ray remain unverified.
- Availability
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Not assessed
- Institutional decision
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Not assessed
- Grounds
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Not assessed
- Action and result
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Not assessed
- Success criterion
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Not assessed
Evidence
- Source numbers
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AIBD-0140-source-0001–0008
- Citations
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Numbered references below.
- Language
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Not assessed
- Source relationships
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Beneficiary, Independent, Developer
- Original evidence
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Not assessed
- Access and versions
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Not assessed
- Supported findings
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Not assessed
- Evidence links
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Not assessed
- Evidence strength
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Not assessed
- Missing evidence
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Not assessed
Grades
- Assessed benefits
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People.
- Depth
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People: 2.
- Reasons
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People: By her mother's account the girl's displaced distal radius fracture was set and cast within days instead of staying in an ace wrap. The orthopaedist's remark that untreated displacement would likely have needed surgery comes only from the mother. No clinician, clinic or record is public. She had already asked for the films for the PCP. Whether the outcome would have differed without Grok is not established.
- Observed or intended
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Not assessed
- Rubric
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Not assessed
- Assessor and date
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Not assessed
- Alternative assessments
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Not assessed
- Fill
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Independently reported
Entry details
- Kind
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Not assessed
- Related entries
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Not assessed
- Field
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Healthcare - musculoskeletal radiology / fracture diagnosis. Caregiver-initiated use of a consumer LLM.
- Purpose
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Grok is xAI's general-purpose chatbot on X with image input. On 3 January 2025 Elon Musk invited users to upload “any image to Grok for analysis, from medical tests to video games”. So reading an X-ray was a promoted use rather than a designed clinical function. Grok's own replies told the user to consult a professional. When a physician asked it the next day, it said it cannot diagnose medical injuries.
- Dates
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Date basis unassessed: 2025 (precision unassessed). Updated: 21 October 2026.
- Stage
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Not assessed
- Version
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SHA-256: db416bb5f187…
References
- Other identifiers
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oecd_aim: 2025-01-12-a928.
- Category mappings
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Not assessed
- Brief
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Not assessed
- Revisions
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6 revisions. Latest: 21 October 2026.
Sources
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News report Independent author
NDTV (2025). Woman Claims Elon Musk's Grok Detected Her Daughter's Fracture After Doctors Fail To Diagnose It. NDTV Feature, 12 January 2025.
The specialist warned that delayed treatment could have led to surgery, but thanks to Grok's intervention, they were able to avoid this outcome and provide timely treatment.
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News report Independent author
Hindustan Times (2025). Mother claims Elon Musk's AI detected daughter's fracture that doctors missed: 'This was eye-opening for me'. Hindustan Times Trending, 12 January 2025.
A wrist specialist confirmed Grok’s diagnosis—a distal radial head fracture with dorsal displacement.
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News report Independent author
Mukhopadhyay, S. (2025). AI chat helps avoid surgery: Elon Musk's Grok identifies teenage girl's wrist fracture after doctors fail to diagnose it. Mint, 12 January 2025.
the mother consulted a wrist specialist, who confirmed Grok’s diagnosis using additional X-rays and physical examination.
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News report Independent author
India Today Trending Desk (2025). Elon Musk's Grok diagnoses fracture missed by doctors, US woman claims in viral post. India Today, 12 January 2025.
The specialist warned that any further delay could have led to surgery, but due to Grok's timely detection, proper treatment was promptly administered.
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News report Independent author
Livemint (2025). Elon Musk claims Grok AI can diagnose medical injuries, Indian doctor gives him a reality check. Mint, 12 January 2025. Reports Dr Cyriac Abby Philips's exchange with Grok.
No, I cannot diagnose medical injuries.
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News report Independent author
TOI Lifestyle Desk (2025). Elon Musk's Grok AI diagnoses fracture missed by doctors, claims woman. The Times of India, 15 January 2025. Quotes Musk's 3 January 2025 post inviting image uploads.
You can upload any image to Grok for analysis, from medical tests to video games! Just tap the + button or paste the image into the entry bar
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Press release Developer
Musk, E. (2025). Grok can diagnose medical injuries. Post on X, @elonmusk, 11 January 2025 (22:12 UTC), status 1878203372513136854; Mint reports it was posted in reply to a post about the AJ Kay account.
Grok can diagnose medical injuries
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Other Beneficiary
Kay, A. J. (2025). True story: @Grok diagnosed my daughter's broken wrist last week. Post on X, @AJKayWriter, 11 January 2025 (14:19 UTC), status 1878084198205907173; three Grok screenshots and one photo of the cast attached; about 14.4 million views.
the wrist specialist took new x-rays (multiple views), examined her, and confirmed Grok’s diagnosis of a distal radial head fracture with dorsal displacement.