RFK Jr’s Maha report sparks outrage over fake citations and AI errors
The Make America Healthy Again (Maha) report, pushed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services, is under fire. It reportedly cites studies that don’t exist and contains glaring citation errors. Critics blame AI, specifically ChatGPT, for compiling the flawed content.
The report targets kids’ health threats like pesticides, prescription drugs, and vaccines. But researchers found poison in the citations. Epidemiologist Katherine Keyes said one paper attributed to her doesn’t exist. 
“The paper cited is not a real paper that I or my colleagues were involved with.”
The AI angle makes this worse. AI is known to “hallucinate” — invent fake studies and data. This isn’t just a glitch; it’s reshaping how false info spreads in public health.
Kennedy’s stance is controversial. He calls top journals like The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine corrupt while pushing a report riddled with errors. His influence on public health policy makes the issue critical.
Experts warn government reliance on AI for health reports can cause widespread misinformation. AI mixes fact and fiction without regard for truth, a dangerous combo in healthcare.
Karen Hao, a tech journalist, summed it up clearly:
“How do we govern artificial intelligence? With AI on track to rewire a great many other crucial functions in society, that question is really asking: how do we ensure that we’ll make our future better, not worse?”
The call is urgent: governments must regulate AI use, especially in health, or risk normalizing falsehoods masked as science.
