AI may be giving teens bad diet advice

AI model: Short for artificial-intelligence model, it’s a particularly smart computer algorithm. Simple types of these models choose from a set of pre-selected to answer a user’s requests (perhaps to respond to a chat). More complex models may train on mountains of data to essentially figure out their own answers to potentially novel questions.

average: (in science) A term for the arithmetic mean, which is the sum of a group of numbers that is then divided by the size of the group.

calorie: The amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. It is typically used as a measurement of the energy contained in some defined amount of food. The exception: when referring to the energy in food, the convention is to call a kilocalorie, or 1,000 of these calories, a “calorie.” Here, a food calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise 1 kilogram of water 1 degree C.

carbohydrates: Any of a large group of compounds occurring in foods and living tissues, including sugars, starch and cellulose. They contain hydrogen and oxygen in the same ratio as water (2:1) and typically can be broken down in an animal’s body to release energy.

chatbot: A computer program created to seemingly converse with human users. Modern ones (such as Siri, Alexa, Ocelot and Sprinklr) can retrieve information over the internet about news events or classroom topics. Many even work as digital assistants to answer questions about purchases, products or scheduling on behalf of stores, pharmacies or banks.

development: (in biology) The growth of an organism from conception through adulthood, often undergoing changes in chemistry, size and sometimes even shape.

diet: (n.) The foods and liquids ingested by an animal to provide the nutrition it needs to grow and maintain health. Sometimes this is a specific food-intake plan. (v.) To adopt a specific food-intake plan. People may adopt one for religious or ethical reasons, to address food allergies or to control a disease such as high blood pressure or diabetes. They may also adopt one in an effort to lose weight, although this can be unhealthy if not done under the guidance of a health professional, such as a physician or registered dietician.

dietitian: An expert who works out what an individual should eat to attain and maintain a healthy weight. Dieticians also can work out meal plans to help people with special medical problems, such as heart disease and diabetes.

digital: (in computer science and engineering)  An adjective indicating that something has been developed numerically on a computer or on some other electronic device, based on a binary system (where all numbers are displayed using a series of only zeros and ones).

disordered eating: An unhealthy pattern of very controlled eating behaviors that often precedes full-blown eating “disorders.” Such behaviors may include exercising excessively to burn off calories, secretly overeating or secretly restraining food intake to the point that it resembles intentional starvation. It often develops in people who have a poor body image (they may feel too fat) or who feel unable to control other events in their lives.

eating disorder: An illness of the mind involving dangerously unhealthy patterns of eating and weight loss or gain.

empathy: (adj. empathetic) The ability to recognize and share what someone else is feeling or experiencing.

factor: Something that plays a role in a particular condition or event; a contributor.

fat: A natural oily or greasy substance occurring in plants and in animal bodies, especially when deposited as a layer under the skin or around certain organs. Fat’s primary role is as an energy reserve. Fat also is a vital nutrient, though it can be harmful if consumed in excessive amounts.

model: A simulation of a real-world event (usually using a computer) that has been developed to predict one or more likely outcomes. 

nutrient: A vitamin, mineral, fat, carbohydrate or protein that a plant, animal or other organism requires as part of its food in order to survive.

nutrition: (adj. nutritious) The healthful components (nutrients) in the diet — such as proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals — that the body uses to grow and to fuel its processes. A scientist who works in this field is known as a nutritionist.

obese: Extremely overweight. Obesity is associated with a wide range of health problems, including type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

online: (n.) On the internet. (adj.) A term for what can be found or accessed on the internet.

overweight: A medical condition where the body has accumulated too much body fat. People are not considered overweight if they weigh more than is normal for their age and height, but that extra weight comes from bone or muscle.

prompts: (in artificial intelligence) The requests that a user makes, telling an artificial-intelligence model specifically what it wants the bot to do. For instance, the prompt might be: Rewrite the Night Before Christmas poem as a rapper might perform it. Or: Create a video of a black cat wearing a beret driving a red MG Cyberster convertible down a street in London at night with Big Ben in the background showing the time as 11:15 p.m. The more specific the prompt, the more likely the AI creation will satisfy the user.

protein: A compound made from one or more long chains of amino acids. Proteins are an essential part of all living organisms. They form the basis of living cells, muscle and tissues; they also do the work inside of cells. Antibodies, hemoglobin and enzymes are all examples of proteins. Medicines frequently work by latching onto proteins.

risk: The chance or mathematical likelihood that some bad thing might happen. For instance, exposure to radiation poses a risk of cancer. Or the hazard — or peril — itself. (For instance: Among cancer risks that the people faced were radiation and drinking water tainted with arsenic.)

social media: Digital media that allow people to connect with each other (often anonymously) and to share information. Examples include Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp.

tween: Someone just approaching his or her teenage years. Tween is a term usually used for 11- and 12-year olds.