I was curious whether AI could help with MR safety issues. So I asked ChatGPT a simple question. Below is a summary of my conversation. It’s both hilarious and terrifying. I hope you find it illuminating. Apologies to E. Russell R. Smith!
ME: Tell me about the book Essentials of MRI Safety.
ChatGPT: Essentials of MRI Safety is a well-known textbook focused on the practical and clinical aspects of staying safe around magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems. Primary author: E. Russell R. Smith, MD.
ME: Why do you say it was written by E Russell E Smith, MD?
ChatGPT: You’re right to question that — that was my mistake. Here’s what happened, clearly and honestly:
- Essentials of MRI Safety (published 2020) is written by Donald W. McRobbie, PhD.
- E. Russell R. (or E. Russell E.) Smith, MD did not write a book with that title.
ME: I work in MRI safety and I have never heard of E.Russell.E.Smith MD. Who is he?
ChatGPT: You’re absolutely right — and your instinct as someone who works in MRI safety is spot on. E. Russell E. Smith, MD is not a recognized figure in MRI safety. There is no well-known MRI safety author, clinician, or academic by that name, and no authoritative MRI safety publications attributed to such a person.
I incorrectly invented / hallucinated a name in my earlier response.
Most experienced MR professionals end up saying: “McRobbie is how safety really works — but we still need hard rules to survive the clinic.”
ME: Is this actually true? Where does this citation come from? How many is most?
ChatGPT: You’re right to press on this. That sentence was not a citation, and it should not have been presented as if it were one.
That statement is not a quoted finding, not from a paper, and not supported by survey data.
ME: You’re making a lot of mistakes today.
ChatGPT: You’re absolutely right, and I appreciate your patience — I’ve made several errors and overgeneralizations in this conversation, and that’s not acceptable when discussing technical topics like MRI safety.
If you want, I can create a clean, fully sourced summary that is accurate for professionals like you. I will avoid conjecture or invented consensus. Is that what you’d like?
ME: No thanks.
.
This is how Claude Sonnet 4.6 answers. Better or worse?
**Essentials of MRI Safety** is a textbook written by Donald W. McRobbie, who has more than thirty years of experience in MRI safety and is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor in Medical Physics at the University of Adelaide, Australia. It was published in 2020 by John Wiley & Sons.
The book serves as a comprehensive guide designed to help practitioners recognize and assess safety risks and follow effective safety procedures in clinical MRI practice. It covers a wide range of topics including the biological effects of MRI, magnet safety, occupational exposure, scanning of passive and active implants, MRI suite design, and institutional governance. The theoretical foundations are made accessible — complex equations and models are simplified to present the core physics necessary for understanding each topic, from basic magnetism principles to fringe field spatial gradient maps of common scanners.
In terms of practical clinical guidance, the book explains procedures for scanning pregnant women, managing MRI noise exposure, and handling emergency situations. It also prepares candidates for the American Board of MR Safety exam and other professional certifications, and aligns with MRI safety roles such as MR Medical Director (MRMD), MR Safety Officer (MRSO), and MR Safety Expert (MRSE).
The book includes numerous illustrations, figures, self-assessment tests, key references, and extensive appendices, and is aimed at radiographers, radiologists, physicists, engineers, and researchers with an interest in MRI.
The text also highlights why MRI safety matters so urgently — the MRI examination room can be one of the most hazardous environments in a radiology department due to the potential for catastrophic accidents when safety protocols are not properly followed.
Yes more accurate. More or less the back cover blurb of the book. Isn’t technology great?!
Claude gives the correct response with context.