The Man Who Swapped Salt for Bromide After Asking ChatGPT

1 October 2025

Paul Francis

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It sounds like the set-up to a surreal joke: a 60-year-old man, looking to cut down on table salt, asked an artificial intelligence for alternatives and wound up in hospital after months of dosing himself with sodium bromide. Yet that is precisely what happened in the United States, according to a medical case report that has since sparked a flurry of concern about how people use AI for health advice.

Roast chicken with vegetables on a plate beside a salt shaker on a wooden table. Warm, cozy dining room setting with soft lighting.

What Has the Online Safety Act Done So Far?

The case, published in Annals of Internal Medicine: Clinical Cases, describes how the man, worried about the health effects of sodium chloride, decided to find a replacement. Instead of speaking to his doctor or a dietitian, he turned to ChatGPT. He later told clinicians that the system suggested bromide as a substitute. He then bought it online and sprinkled it onto food for around three months.

When he eventually sought help, doctors found he was suffering from bromism, a rare form of poisoning that was more common decades ago, when bromide salts were sold as sedatives. Today, bromide compounds are not approved for human consumption in most countries.

What Are the Symptoms of Bromism?

Over time, the man developed a catalogue of troubling symptoms:

paranoia, including a belief that his neighbour was poisoning him
hallucinations
insomnia and fatigue
poor coordination and unsteady movement
skin complaints including acne and red bumps known as cherry angiomas

In blood tests, his chloride levels appeared abnormally high. In reality, bromide was interfering with the equipment — a diagnostic red herring that once led to bromism being nicknamed a “great imitator” in medicine.

How Was He Treated?

The man was admitted to hospital, where he was placed under psychiatric care due to his paranoia and hallucinations. Treatment included intravenous fluids to flush the bromide, correction of his electrolyte levels, and the use of antipsychotic medication. After three weeks, his condition improved and he was discharged.

Doctors noted that many younger clinicians had little experience with bromism, since the condition has all but disappeared from modern practice. Without his disclosure about the AI-recommended substitution, diagnosis might have been even more difficult.

Did ChatGPT Really Recommend Bromide?

The clinicians never obtained the original conversation logs, so it is impossible to prove exactly what the system said. However, when the team ran similar prompts themselves, they found that ChatGPT sometimes did list sodium bromide as a possible substitute for sodium chloride, alongside caveats such as “context matters” and without asking for medical history.

This raises awkward questions about how AI language models generate answers. They are designed to predict plausible text, not to provide safe or medically sound advice.

What Are the Lessons?

The case highlights three broader concerns:

AI is not a doctor. It may generate convincing answers, but it does not understand chemistry, biology, or risk in the way a professional does.
Guardrails are limited. While OpenAI and others build safeguards into their systems, loopholes remain, especially for niche queries.
Doctors may need to ask new questions. Just as they might ask patients about herbal remedies or over-the-counter pills, clinicians may increasingly need to ask: “Have you consulted an AI about this?”

For the man at the centre of this story, the outcome was ultimately positive, after a frightening spell in hospital, he made a recovery. But for the wider public, the case stands as a reminder: artificial intelligence can be a helpful tool, but when it comes to your health, it is no substitute for professional medical advice.

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The Impact of Dynamic Pricing in the Hospitality Sector

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Sep 18, 2023
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In an era where data-driven decision-making and technological advances are at the forefront of business strategies, the concept of dynamic pricing has gained prominence across various industries.

One notable example in the hospitality sector is Slug & Lettuce, part of the Stonegate Group, the UK's largest pub chain. Slug & Lettuce, along with its sister pubs, Yates, has recently embraced dynamic pricing, which marks a significant shift in what they charge customers for their beverages.

The dynamic pricing model

Dynamic pricing—sometimes called surge pricing or demand-based pricing—is where the cost of a product or service is adjusted, based on various factors. These factors can include demand, the time of day, the day of the week, special events, and even external market conditions. In the case of Slug & Lettuce, the decision to implement dynamic pricing revolves around charging 20p more per pint during peak hours, which typically occur during evenings and weekends.

The pros of dynamic pricing

Optimising revenue

One of the most significant (and, perhaps, most obvious) advantages of dynamic pricing is its potential to optimise revenue for businesses. For example, by charging more during peak hours when demand is high, Slug & Lettuce can maximise its profits. This allows the pub chain to allocate resources effectively and invest in improvements to enhance the overall customer experience.

Rising operational costs, including expenses like extra security during busy times, can place a strain on businesses like Slug & Lettuce. Dynamic pricing helps counteract these increased costs by generating higher profit margins during peak hours.

Enhanced demand management

Dynamic pricing also helps with demand management. During peak hours, when the pub is likely to be crowded, higher prices can discourage some customers, reducing overcrowding and wait times. Conversely, during off-peak hours, lower prices can attract more patrons, leading to a more balanced distribution of customers throughout the day.

Flexibility and responsiveness

In a rapidly changing market, the ability to adjust prices in real-time provides businesses with the flexibility to respond to shifts in demand and external factors. Slug & Lettuce can react promptly to events like local sports games, concerts, or even changes in the weather that might affect customer numbers.

The cons of dynamic pricing

Customer perception

One of the most significant challenges of dynamic pricing is its impact on customer perception. When customers notice price fluctuations—especially higher prices during peak hours—it can lead to feelings of frustration, mistrust, and dissatisfaction. Slug & Lettuce and other businesses implementing this strategy must carefully manage their customer expectations and communication.

Potential for overpricing

Dynamic pricing can be a double-edged sword. Whilst it allows for higher pricing during peak hours, it also carries the risk of overpricing. If the price becomes too steep, it may deter potential customers and lead to reduced overall revenue, which is the opposite of what it’s meant to achieve. Striking the right balance is essential.

Ethical concerns

Critics argue that dynamic pricing can be ethically questionable, especially when customers feel they are being exploited during high-demand periods, and at a time when their disposable income is limited, due to the cost-of-living crisis. The perception that a business is taking advantage of customers' willingness to pay more can harm its reputation and lead to negative publicity. The flipside of this, of course, is that people have the freedom to choose which chain or individual business they wish to patronise; if the price is too high even at peak times, they have the power to take their business elsewhere.

Operational complexity

Implementing dynamic pricing requires advanced technology and data analytics capabilities. It can be operationally complex, particularly for smaller businesses that may lack the necessary resources and expertise. For Slug & Lettuce, this means investing in the infrastructure and training required to execute dynamic pricing effectively.

Slug & Lettuce's decision to introduce dynamic pricing reflects a broader trend in the hospitality industry. Whilst the pros and cons of this strategy are evident, it will be interesting to see how things unfold for the pub chain.