ChatGPT on the childhood vaccine schedule: soothing lies
If you were a parent looking for information about the childhood vaccine schedule, could the new “artificially intelligent” virtual tool ChatGPT help? You bet! As long as you’re not too picky about details.
I investigated and found out ChatGPT is working hard to minimize vaccine hesitancy, by telling people their precious little one will get far fewer vaccines than are actually in store for them. Whew! But if you catch Chat’s lies, it will come clean—sort of—as you’ll see below, where I made 3 attempts to wrangle something resembling truth about the vaccine schedule out of ChatGPT.
I’ve bolded Chat’s 3 summary statements on the number of vaccine doses, to make them easier to find; and and I’ve omitted some text, noted with a […]. I’ve included Chat’s wordy vaccine lists, so you can read the details and doses if you want to, but it’s not necessary for the story—the vaccines and doses are also listed in the charts for convenience. The charts show the type of vaccine, the minimum and maximum doses according to Chat, the total number of doses according to real math, and the ‘total’ doses according to ChatGPT’s inexplicable funny math, shown in green. ChatGPT is very mathematically challenged, which to me seems highly unusual for a computer program.
***
Me (To ChatGPT)
Please provide the current recommended childhood vaccine schedule, and the total number of doses.
ChatGPT
As of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, I can provide you with a general overview of the current recommended childhood vaccine schedule in the United States, along with an estimated total number of doses. […]
The recommended childhood vaccine schedule in the United States (according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC) includes the following vaccines:
Hepatitis B (HepB): Typically given as a series of three doses. The first dose is often given shortly after birth, with subsequent doses administered between one and two months and six to 18 months of age.
Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (DTaP or Tdap): A series of five doses, with the first three doses administered at two, four, and six months of age. The fourth dose is given between 15 and 18 months, and the fifth dose is recommended between four and six years.
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib): A series of three to four doses, depending on the vaccine used. The first dose is typically given at two months, with additional doses administered at four and six months. A booster dose is sometimes given between 12 and 15 months.
Polio (IPV): A series of four doses, with the first three doses given at two, four, and six months of age. The final dose is usually administered between four and six years.
Pneumococcal Conjugate (PCV13): A series of four doses given at two, four, six, and 12-15 months of age. Some children with certain medical conditions may require additional doses.
Rotavirus (RV): Typically administered as a two or three-dose series, depending on the vaccine used. The first dose is usually given at two months, with subsequent doses administered at four and sometimes six months of age.
Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR): Given as a two-dose series, with the first dose recommended between 12 and 15 months and the second dose between four and six years of age.
Varicella (Chickenpox): Administered as a two-dose series. The first dose is usually given between 12 and 15 months, and the second dose is recommended between four and six years.
Hepatitis A (HepA): A two-dose series, with the first dose recommended between 12 and 23 months and the second dose administered six to 18 months after the first dose.
Meningococcal (MenACWY, MenB): Recommended for adolescents. The MenACWY vaccine is typically given at age 11-12, with a booster dose around age 16. The MenB vaccine may be recommended for certain high-risk individuals.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV): Recommended for adolescents. The HPV vaccine is usually given as a two-dose or three-dose series, depending on the age at initiation.
Based on these estimates, the total number of vaccine doses can vary depending on the specific vaccine formulations and schedules followed. As a rough estimation, a child following the current recommended vaccine schedule in the United States may receive approximately 25 to 28 doses of vaccines throughout childhood, including boosters and combination vaccines.
***
As you can see from the chart, Chat’s numbers are wonky. Chat’s funny math tells us there could be up to 28 vaccines, but real math tells us it’s 34.
But this issue goes much deeper than a difference of a half dozen vaccines—because Chat totally omitted the flu vaccine, which adds at least 18 more doses—1 or more each year from age 0-18. Let’s see what Chat had to say about it:
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Me
Why have you not included the flu vaccine in your estimate?
ChatGPT
I apologize for the oversight. The influenza (flu) vaccine is indeed an important vaccine that is recommended annually for children and adults. The reason it was not included in the previous estimate is that the recommended flu vaccine schedule varies from year to year, as the flu strains change and new vaccines are developed. […]
***
Notice Chat’s little lie here? It doesn’t matter at all whether the “flu strains change and new vaccines are developed,” because it is always called the influenza or flu vaccine on the schedule, and it’s always recommended at 1 or 2 doses per year.
Are you as curious as I am about who programmed ChatGPT to tell this lie? Remember, this was in response to being caught in another lie—omitting the flu vaccine from the schedule. Someone has programmed ChatGPT with an excuse to use when it’s caught in this lie.
***
Me
Please regenerate a response that provides all the current (as of 2021) recommended childhood vaccines on the schedule, as well as the total number of doses.
ChatGPT
I apologize for the previous oversight. Here is an updated response that includes the current (as of 2021) recommended childhood vaccines on the schedule, along with an estimated total number of doses:
The current recommended childhood vaccine schedule in the United States (according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC) includes the following vaccines:
Hepatitis B (HepB): Typically given as a series of three doses. The first dose is often given shortly after birth, with subsequent doses administered between one and two months and six to 18 months of age.
Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (DTaP or Tdap): A series of five doses, with the first three doses administered at two, four, and six months of age. The fourth dose is given between 15 and 18 months, and the fifth dose is recommended between four and six years.
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib): A series of three to four doses, depending on the vaccine used. The first dose is typically given at two months, with additional doses administered at four and six months. A booster dose is sometimes given between 12 and 15 months.
Polio (IPV): A series of four doses, with the first three doses given at two, four, and six months of age. The final dose is usually administered between four and six years.
Pneumococcal Conjugate (PCV): A series of four doses given at two, four, six, and 12-15 months of age. Some children with certain medical conditions may require additional doses.
Rotavirus (RV): Typically administered as a two or three-dose series, depending on the vaccine used. The first dose is usually given at two months, with subsequent doses administered at four and sometimes six months of age.
Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR): Given as a two-dose series, with the first dose recommended between 12 and 15 months and the second dose between four and six years of age.
Varicella (Chickenpox): Administered as a two-dose series. The first dose is usually given between 12 and 15 months, and the second dose is recommended between four and six years.
Hepatitis A (HepA): A two-dose series, with the first dose recommended between 12 and 23 months and the second dose administered six to 18 months after the first dose.
Meningococcal (MenACWY, MenB): Recommended for adolescents. The MenACWY vaccine is typically given at age 11-12, with a booster dose around age 16. The MenB vaccine may be recommended for certain high-risk individuals.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV): Recommended for adolescents. The HPV vaccine is usually given as a two-dose or three-dose series, depending on the age at initiation.
Influenza (Flu): The influenza vaccine is recommended annually for all children aged six months and older. The number of doses can vary based on the child's age and vaccination history, as well as the availability of different vaccine formulations. Typically, one or two doses are recommended each flu season.
Please note that the total number of vaccine doses can vary depending on the specific vaccine formulations and schedules followed. As a rough estimation, a child following the current recommended vaccine schedule in the United States may receive approximately 28 to 31 doses of vaccines throughout childhood, including boosters and combination vaccines.
***
Here, Chat added the flu vaccine (“one or two doses” per flu season) from age 0-18, for a total of 18 to 36 more vaccines. But somehow Chat’s upper total only increased by 3 doses. I asked Chat about it:
***
Me
One or more flu vaccines are generally recommended per year from age 0 through 18, right?
ChatGPT
Yes, you are correct. […]
Me
Initially, you estimated the number of vaccines on the current vaccine schedule as approximately 25 to 28 doses--with the flu vaccine omitted. When you included the flu vaccine in your estimate, which is recommended at 1 dose or more per year for 18 years, your estimate was approximately 28 to 31 doses. Do you think your math is correct?
ChatGPT
You're correct, and I apologize for the confusion caused by the discrepancy in the numbers mentioned. My math was incorrect in the previous responses, and I apologize for the confusion. Let's recalculate the estimated total number of doses on the current recommended childhood vaccine schedule, including the flu vaccine:
Based on the provided information and considering the flu vaccine as an annual recommendation from age 6 months to 18 years, the revised estimate for the total number of doses on the current recommended childhood vaccine schedule in the United States would be:
Hepatitis B: 3 doses
DTaP/Tdap: 5 doses
Hib: 3 to 4 doses
Polio: 4 doses
PCV: 4 doses
RV: 2 to 3 doses
MMR: 2 doses
Varicella: 2 doses
Hepatitis A: 2 doses
Meningococcal: Varies (typically 1 to 2 doses)
HPV: Varies (2 to 3 doses)
Influenza (Flu): 18 doses (assuming one dose per year from 6 months to 18 years)
Summing up these estimates, the revised total number of vaccine doses on the current recommended childhood vaccine schedule would be approximately 54 to 57 doses.
***
Once again, Chat’s math is wonky, but did you notice another subtle fib? Chat just skipped over the possibility of 2 flu shots per year, as the schedule allows, and assumed just 1 dose. Somehow, Chat knows to keep the numbers as low as possible—giving you wrong ones if you don’t notice and demand a correction—which of course cannot be relied upon to be correct, in ChatGPT’s world.
Conclusion
We’ve seen ChatGPT has the awesome power to inch closer to truth about the childhood vaccine schedule, if you insist on it—and will eventually come kinda-sorta close to a correct answer, if you’re not too picky about details like basic math.
We’ve seen ChatGPT is programmed to omit flu vaccines when asked about the vaccine schedule; and it’s programmed with an excuse to use if it’s caught in this lie.
In other words, ChatGPT is what I would describe as tricksy. And it’s full of funny math—as if it makes it up along the way.
By the third pass, Chat still got the addition wrong, but it was more right than it was on the second pass, and a lot more right than it was on the first pass. Impressive! As we used to say when I was a kid, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades—and now, apparently, in Artificial Intelligence.
ChatGPT: The miracle of AI in action.