Google’s Gemini recommended discarding a chicken salad made 8 days earlier, citing food safety guidelines, when asked if it was safe to eat. Tech site TechRadar reported on Aug. 10 that a user, via Gemini Live, pointed the camera at an opened chicken salad container and asked whether food made on Aug. 1 was still OK. Gemini first provided guidance related to medical advice, saying the information it provides does not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It then recommended throwing the chicken salad away based on general food safety guidelines, stating the recommended refrigerated storage period for chicken salad is generally 3 to 4 days, and judged that eating food made on Aug. 1 on Aug. 9 might not be safe. Following Gemini’s recommendation, the user threw away the chicken salad and had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch instead. Gemini replied that this was a safer choice. The case shows the expanding range in which generative AI is used as a reference tool for decision-making. Gemini did not directly verify whether the food was actually contaminated, but assessed potential risk based on storage time and general food safety standards. A Gallup survey found that more than 25 percent of Americans have used AI to obtain health information or advice. More than half of those surveyed said they asked AI first for health-related advice or analysis before visiting a hospital.