IT General

There is tons of stuff out there that's worth upgrading or overspending on. Other stuff, though, not so much. And depending on where you're getting your tech tips from, you might often hear the wrong advice on what you should spend money on. Here's a few things that you might not want to overspend on.

Sometimes you just want a Home Assistant project that you can get done over the course of a weekend and have something impressive to show off at the end of it. Here are some projects that you might want to try out this weekend.

If you're in the market for a computer these days, expect to be sold some form of AI. Windows computers come with a CoPilot button. Chromebooks advertise Gemini during setup. Like many of you, I'm tired of all of it, so I've decided to build my own privacy-oriented PC instead.

Ford and recalls seem to go hand in hand at this point. Last year alone, the automaker topped the charts again with a record 153 recalls impacting nearly 13 million vehicles, keeping its spot as the most-recalled brand for a second year running.

If you’re in the market for a new computer, it should be a mini PC, not a full-size desktop. Sure, in the past, full-size desktops were the gold standard, but that’s just not the case anymore. Here’s why I think a mini PC is the perfect system for nearly everyone.

Every few years, Google quietly removes something from Android that was doing nothing wrong. I've been using Android since the days of Ice Cream Sandwich, and I’ve lived through Google killing over a dozen apps and features that I used to love. Here are five such features that they dropped in favor of some subpar alternatives.

The best things in life are free. At least, that's how the saying goes, but it does seem a little ironic that the most practical, valuable tools on a computer are often created by someone who just wanted to solve a problem that was apparently beneath the notice of massive software developers.

They say don't meet your heroes, and the new-to-Broadway stage play starring Aya Cash (You're the Worst, The Boys) shows why.

Written by Mark Rosenblatt, Giant stars John Lithgow as Roald Dahl. The British children's book author is best known for such beloved stories as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda. This play, however, addresses how the reception of that work shifts as Dahl expresses antisemitism in other published works and interviews in 1983. When his caustic comments cause public outcry, it's up to an American publisher named Jessie Stone (Cash) to manage this bullying "giant" so the scandal won't hurt the sales of his next book, The Witches. As big an admirer as Jessie is of his work, she is shocked by Dahl's viciousness and politics. And Cash proves a compelling, resilient scene partner to a rampaging Lithgow.

Cash came by the Say More studio to talk about Giant, which made the leap from the West End to Broadway this spring. The play deals not only with the specifics of Dahl but also with broader questions about art versus the artist, cancel culture, and more. With Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko, Cash spoke about how she struggles with such questions in her own life. In the full interview, on YouTube, she also talks about what drives her as an actor, her work on Giant and The Boys, and the silliest bit of playing a superhero on the upcoming prequel spinoff series Vought Rising, in which she'll reprise the role of Stormfront.

Giant is now on Broadway.

The Boys Season 5 is now on Prime Video, with a new episode every Wednesday.

Vought Rising's release is currently TBD.

For this weekend on Paramount+ (or into next week, for that matter), if you're looking for something new to watch, or maybe a show you've heard a lot of good things about but have never tried, then the selections below might scratch your binge-watching itch.

Linux has never been more user-friendly, but that doesn't mean there aren't still some things that give newcomers trouble. These are four things that new users should be familiar with before it causes a headache.

This weekend on Netflix, if you're not (or are done) watching Something Very Bad is Going to Happen or Anaconda and are in the market for something unique, chilling, or enlightening, allow me to politely direct your attention to the list below.

If you've ever felt like a lab rat in a hellish maze when trying to exit a subway station, you need to watch Exit 8.

Based on (and almost identically replicating) Kotake Create's acclaimed 2023 game, director Genki Kawamura's adaptation is a staggeringly meticulous piece of cinema. Fans of the game will be shocked to see those signature hallways come to life; newcomers will get to experience the maddening escape room for the first time.

SEE ALSO: 'Exit 8' trailer is one of the freakiest trailers I've seen in an age

At once a masterpiece of game-to-film adaptation, an elegant, nail-biting horror-thriller, and a technical cinematic marvel, Exit 8 locks you in and leaves you to flail. You'll never see your commute the same way.

What is Exit 8 about? Kazunari Ninomiya and Naru Asanuma in "Exit 8." Credit: Neon

To call Kotake Create's game The Exit 8 a walking simulator is an understatement. This masterpiece of environmental storytelling is essentially a nightmarish spot-the-difference experience that ties players in knots when it's not leaving them terrified. Like a Möbius strip, Exit 8 sends you into a seemingly endless loop, walking the same mundane yet unsettling subway hallway beneath Tokyo again and again, with the only chance of escape a mysterious set of instructions: If you find anomalies, turn around immediately. If you don’t find anomalies, do not turn back.

Kawamura and co-writer Kentaro Hirase expand this puzzle into three acts, installing a compelling protagonist, exploring other characters (including an outstanding performance by Yamato Kōchi as The Walking Man), and adding a running theme of fatherhood. We meet an unnamed man (an exceptional Kazunari Ninomiya) on his way to his temp job in the Tokyo subway. He's crammed into a train carriage with thousands of other silent commuters, all glued to their phones in a deeply familiar image. When an upsetting confrontation occurs, he simply turns up the volume and zones out, the bystander effect in full force. He takes a rattling call from his ex (Nana Komatsu). When he tries to leave the station, he finds himself trapped in a mysterious looping hallway, tasked with facing (and identifying) chilling oddities — a door ajar, the sound of suddenly nearby footsteps, a disturbingly exaggerated smile.

While a seemingly simple concept, the themes running through this labyrinth are complex, from the drudgery of the nine-to-five to the weight of major life decisions to the concept of limbo. What is this place? An Escher experiment? A modern version of Dante's Nine Circles of Hell? Kawamura will leave you frantically searching for meaning as you search for aberrations on the screen.

Exit 8 is a masterpiece of filmmaking, from production design to cinematography It's perfect. Credit: Neon

The first time our "Lost Man" rounds the corner into Exit 8's all-important hallway, my jaw hit the floor. Production designer Ryo Sugimoto, set designer Yutaka Motegi, lighting designer Tatsuya Hirayama, and set decorator Yutaka Motegi have perfectly recreated Kotake Create's generic subway setting to down to the very last detail, from the graphic design to the stark lighting and those cruel white tiles. It's a magnificent feat, building this seemingly endless hallway for uninterrupted shots, captured with meticulous precision by cinematographer Keisuke Imamura. 

Long one-shots track Ninomiya's superb, overtly physical performance as he frantically attempts to escape the hallway and survive the disturbing jumpscares, many from visual effects supervisor Seiji Masamoto. The game itself wields first person perspective with every step, turn, or movement through space functioning as player-propelled cinematography, and Imamura expertly channels this into Exit 8, executing a hypnotic, unsettling march through these dreaded hallways.

However, none of this would hit quite so hard without Exit 8's supervising sound editor and foley artist Masaya Kitada. Sound becomes a bona fide weapon in Kitada's hands, building dread from the crisp clack of footsteps and the buzzing of fluorescence, or straight-up terrifying you from inside a locker. Make sure you see this film with a monster sound system.

Exit 8 will have you playing spot-the-difference too

The key game mechanic of The Exit 8, spotting the anomalies, also functions as the narrative driver of the film, as the protagonist studies the few consistent elements of the hallway in order to spot anything amiss. Some anomalies are obvious, while others are microscopic. With the latter, deciding whether an anomaly is in fact one becomes as risky a move as deciding it's not. It's maddening, this constant state of flux between ennui, frustration, drudgery, and pure terror.

Through Imamura's calculated cinematography, the audience is also able to play along in some instances in which we desperately roam the screen to identify an anomaly before the Lost Man does — there were more than a few moments when I pointed, pantomime-style, at the screen wanting to yell "IT'S BEHIND YOU!" Granted, fans of the game will be less freaked out by the startling nature of the anomalies, as experiencing them on a first-time play is as unsettling as watching the film.

While video game adaptations come in a range of sublime to mediocre, Exit 8 is a triumphant realisation and expansion of the original concept. Kawamura's punctilious direction and his incredibly talented cast and crew amplify this contained hallway in satisfying, chilling ways. You'll remain in this hallway long after you've left the cinema — we're all still staring blankly at that Exit 0 sign.

Exit 8 is now in cinemas.

Featured Video For You 'No Other Choice' skewers the job market. Here's why Park Chan-wook made it.

Just like there's millions of apps out there for your phone, there are also millions of browser extensions for your browser. And if you're sticking to open-source stuff, it can oftentimes get challenging. Here's some of my favorite open-source extensions I use on a daily basis.

Windows 11 keeps adding features most people never notice, and some of them are far more powerful than they look at first glance. One of the best examples is Sysmon, a deeply capable system monitoring tool. It’s not something you'll stumble across in the Start menu, and there's a good chance you've never even heard of it. But it's there, and it can reveal far more about what your PC is actually doing than most built-in tools.

In a story about Hollywood, there's bound to be more than a few stars in the mix.

In Outcome, co-written, directed, and starring Jonah Hill, Keanu Reeves plays a fictionalised version of himself: a famous actor who's known for being the nice guy of the entertainment industry, something well-documented on the internet about Reeves himself.

SEE ALSO: Wait, that's Jonah Hill? The 'Outcome' makeover turns the actor unrecognizable

Beyond the main cast of Reeves, Hill, Cameron Diaz, and Matt Bomer, there's a flurry of cameos from famous faces you might catch or miss. We've rounded them all up so you can play spot-the-celeb.

Yes, that's Martin Scorsese. Credit: Apple Martin Scorsese

The legendary director, who also had a cameo on The Studio, appears as Richie "Red" Rodriguez, Reef's first manager in the business. He now runs his own bowling alley.

Cary Christopher

The pint-sized Weapons star upstages Martin Scorsese in his own scene in the bowling alley. It's gold.

Drew Barrymore

Essentially playing herself, the Hollywood icon interviews Reef on her show, bonding with him as a former child star herself.

Van Jones

The political commentator, former White House advisor, and CNN regular appears at the beginning of the film as a journalist interviewing Reef on his show.

Laverne Cox

One of the crack team of crisis lawyers Ira (Jonah Hill) pulls together to represent Reef, Cox appears as Virginia Allen-Green, "the most legendary advocate for women whose rights have been violated."

Roy Wood Jr.

Also on Ira's top lawyer team, the comedian plays "the sultan of social justice," Reverend Leondrus Carter.

Atsuko Okatsuka

The comedian plays another member of Ira's super team, lawyer and activist Unis Kim.

Roy Wood Jr. and Atsuko Okatsuka in "Outcome." Credit: Apple David Spade

The comedy actor plays "Malibu teen dad" Buddy Gomorrah, who is renting the house beside Reef's with his pregnant partner.

Kaia Gerber

It's a brief moment, but the model plays Oksana, Buddy's pregnant partner. Her grandmother apparently dated Reef.

Susan Lucci

The All My Children icon turns up as Reef's mother Dinah, a reality star and one of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Ivy Wolk

More of a supporting role than a cameo, the Anora star plays Reef's assistant, Sammy.

Nicolas Noblitt

Playing Ira's son Eli, the actor and wheelchair dancer bonds with Reef outside his dad's office.

Shola Adewusi

The British star of Bob Hearts Abishola shows up as a fan of Reef's who apprehends him in the supermarket.

Nikolai Nikolaeff

The Australian actor (The Last Voyage of the Demeter) appears as a fan who takes a snap of Reef in the supermarket.

Outcome premieres on Apple TV April 10.

Featured Video For You 'Dreaming Whilst Black' creator Adjani Salmon on calling out the entertainment industry

DISNEY+ BUNDLES: Disney+ is offering bundle deals so you can stream the best of its library at a lower price.

The best Disney+ deals and bundles in April 2026: Best Hulu Bundle Deal Disney+ and Hulu Bundle $12.99/month with ads Get Deal Best HBO Max Bundle Deal Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max Bundle $19.99/month with ads, $32.99/month ad-free Get Deal Best ESPN Bundle Deal Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited Bundle $35.99/month Get Deal

Whether you're looking to jump into the latest superhero saga or journey to a galaxy far, far away, Disney+ is the streaming service for you.

Home to Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and more, Disney+ offers a library that's stuffed full of shows and films to keep both adults and kids entertained. With Disney+, you can watch Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, Zootopia 2, the second season of Daredevil: Born Again, and much more.

If you've had this streaming service on your radar but you've been unsure which plan is the best fit for you, we've got you covered with a selection of Disney+ streaming deals. This includes the Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max package, which is a great investment for those who already own the other two streaming services and are looking to cut down on costs.

SEE ALSO: An 'Animorphs' series is on its way to Disney+ thanks to Ryan Coogler

We've detailed all of the available bundle deals below, alongside basic information on Disney+ plans if you just want the House of Mouse's service on its own.

Best Hulu bundle deal Opens in a new window Credit: Disney Disney+ and Hulu Bundle $12.99 per month with ads Get Deal Why we like it

For those interested in the ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu Bundle, which groups together Disney+ and Hulu, it starts at $12.99 per month. If you'd prefer to get rid of ads, the Premium ad-free version comes to $19.99 per month.

• Disney+ and Hulu Bundle — $12.99 per month

• Disney+ and Hulu Bundle Premium — $19.99 per month

Best HBO Max bundle deal Opens in a new window Credit: Disney Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max Bundle $19.99/month with ads, $32.99/month ad-free Get Deal Why we like it

The Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max bundle is one of the best available at the moment. Starting at $19.99 per month, you can have three excellent streaming services right in the palm of your hand. The $19.99 per month option is for the With Ads plan, but if you'd prefer to watch your favorite content without ads, the No Ads plan comes to $32.99 per month. Compared to what you'd pay for each of these on their own, you're saving 42% with the ad-supported plan and 41% with the ad-free plan.

• Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (with ads) — $19.99 per month (save 42%)

• Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (no ads) — $32.99 per month (save 41%)

Best ESPN bundle Opens in a new window Credit: Disney Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited Bundle $35.99/month Get Deal

If you're a sports fan looking to add ESPN to your bundles, you're in luck: Disney offers bundles with both ESPN Select and ESPN Unlimited. According to ESPN, "ESPN Select includes ESPN+ content only. Fans who want ESPN+ exclusively may subscribe to the ESPN Select plan. ESPN Unlimited includes all of the ESPN networks and services, including ESPN+."

The Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle, which has ads, is available for $35.99 per month. The Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited premium bundle without ads is available for $44.99 per month.

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle — $19.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle Premium — $29.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle — $35.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle Premium — $44.99 per month

Best Disney+ monthly plans

Disney+ offers two standard plans if you just want the service on its own. The Disney+ ad-supported plan comes to $11.99 per month while the ad-free Disney+ Premium plan will set you back $18.99 per month or $189.99 per year if you'd rather pay annually.

• Disney+ (With Ads) — $11.99 per month

• Disney+ Premium (No Ads) — $18.99 per month, $189.99 per year

Disney+ has also created an "extra member" plan for people using your account that live outside of your household as they crack down on password sharing. If you're looking to add another person onto your account, you're only allowed one extra profile and can choose from the following add-on plans:

• Disney+ (With Ads) — $6.99 per month

• Disney+ Premium — $9.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu Bundle — $7.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu Bundle Premium — $10.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle — $11.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle Premium — $14.99 per month

There's a wealth of shows and films to check out on Disney+ after you sign up. If you want some help finding something to watch, check out our roundups of the 12 best TV shows for adults on Disney+ and the 20 best movies on Disney+ to start building out your watchlist.

TL;DR: Give your PC an affordable facelift with this Microsoft Windows 11 Pro license, $12.97 (reg. $199) through May 3.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Windows 11 Pro $12.97
$199 Save $186.03   Get Deal

A new operating system makes your computer feel totally new to you. If you want to trick yourself this spring and enjoy the perks of a fresh system without shelling out for a brand new computer, this Microsoft Windows 11 Pro license can help.

Usually $199, you can now snag this easy upgrade for just $12.97 until May 3.

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If you’ve got an old PC, you can give it a refresh for less than the cost of lunch with this Microsoft Windows 11 Pro deal. Your device will feel totally refreshed with this new operating system, filled with new features and tools for you to try.

Windows 11 Pro was created with today’s professional in mind, so whether you’re a developer, an artist, or an entrepreneur, you’ll enjoy a smoother workflow. It offers a seamless, easy-to-use interface, complete with a powerful search experience, easy redocking, snap layouts, and more.

This operating system includes Copilot, the Windows 11 AI-powered assistant, available on the taskbar or when you press the Windows logo key + C. You can ask Copilot questions, create images, and generate code, or even let it change a setting, summarize a web page, or open an app. You’ll also get access to Teams, an app that allows you to stay connected to coworkers, friends, and family.

If you need help in the cybersecurity department, you’ll appreciate Windows 11 Pro’s biometric logins, encrypted authentication, and enhanced antivirus protection, all designed to keep your data safe.

Outfit your PC with this Microsoft Windows 11 Pro license for only $12.97 (reg. $199) now through May 3.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Give an old PC an affordable upgrade with this lifetime license to Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows, on sale now for just $32.97 (reg. $219.99) through April 19 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License $32.97
$219.99 Save $187.02   Get Deal

You don’t need a bunch of new, cool apps — you actually just need dependable old ones from the ’90s. The elite Microsoft Office programs you know and love are actually still around, with some helpful new additions.

Right now, you can snag them all for a one-time low price with this $32.97 lifetime license to Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows — on sale through April 19.

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If you work on a dependable PC, why not show it some TLC with this Microsoft Office Professional 2021 license? If you act fast, you can pay just once and secure all eight of these essential Microsoft apps for life.

For less than $5 each, you can score Word for document creation, Excel for spreadsheet building, Outlook for email management, and PowerPoint for presentation design.

This license doesn’t just include old classics but also newer favorites. You’ll have Access to help you manage large databases, Publisher for designing professional documents, Teams to stay connected with others, and OneNote for your digital note-taking needs.

Don’t be deterred by the year of this edition. All these apps have been redesigned, and you’ll also enjoy a ribbon-based interface that makes it easy to access features, tools, and customizations. Just make sure your device is running Windows 10 or 11.

Give your PC an upgrade with this lifetime license to Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows, on sale now for just $32.97 through April 19.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Upgrade your go-to laptop with this Apple MacBook Air, regularly $1,099, on sale now for $229.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air 2017 (Refurbished) $199.97
$999 Save $799.03   Get Deal

Time is money, so if your current laptop is slowing you down, just think about how much you’re losing over time. The MacBook Air offers power, portability, and speed in a sleek frame, and while it usually sets you back over $1,000, right now you can keep even more money in your pocket and get one for just $229.99.

The MacBook Air is Apple's most portable laptop, but don’t be deceived by its lightweight status. It still packs power and the bells and whistles you’ve come to love from the brand.

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This particular model is equipped with a 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, which gives you blazing-fast performance for work, play, and everything in between. 8GB of RAM and 256GB of solid-state drive storage make it easy to run apps and programs simultaneously, and store your important files locally.

A 13.3-inch HD display delivers a widescreen resolution for clear viewing. And when you need to connect or transfer files, Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi connectivity make it easy. A 720p FaceTime HD webcam allows you to hop on a Zoom or video chat with a loved one right from your MacBook Air anytime you need.

If you’re curious why you’re saving over $800 on this MacBook Air, it’s because of this model’s grade-A refurbished rating. That means it will arrive on your doorstep in near-mint condition, with minimal to no scuffing, while you secure a deep discount.

Secure your own Apple MacBook Air for $229.99 today.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

The limbo between having blood drawn and receiving the results can be stressful for patients. Then the jargon-filled blood test report arrives before a doctor can review it and translate the findings. They may never follow up if they see no cause for alarm. 

Enter the artificial intelligence-powered chatbot. Since major large language models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini debuted a few years ago, an increasing number of patients have shared their lab results — or uploaded them to — the chatbot of their choice, seeking guidance. 

SEE ALSO: Using AI for health questions? Here are 4 tips for the most accurate answers.

Companies, including the wellness and lifestyle brands Whoop and Levels, see an opportunity in this information gap and have made a compelling pitch: Concierge-level attention to a consumer's lab work, courtesy of AI. 

Typically, their AI product is an explanatory report, written in accessible language, that provides a personalized plan with next steps, like dietary changes, lifestyle modifications, and consultation with a doctor. The service, which is typically available with a subscription, can cost a few hundred dollars or more per year.  

Dr. John Whyte, CEO of the American Medical Association, understands the appeal, especially when patients find their results confusing. 

"Physicians are [not always] the best communicators," Whyte says. "I wish we were, and [that we] had more time." 

Still, he says there's no rigorous research or evidence demonstrating that AI can effectively and accurately interpret blood results and make personalized lifestyle recommendations to improve or optimize one's health. In other words, the companies offering AI interpretation of blood tests don't yet know if their product is better than simply consulting a chatbot for free, or more accurate than a doctor's opinion.  

"I think you have to be skeptical about some of the claims," Whyte says. 

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A new Mashable series, AI + Health, will examine how artificial intelligence is changing the medical and health landscape. We'll explore how to keep your health data safe, prompting chatbots effectively for health questions, and learn how two women are using AI to detect a dangerous form of heart disease, and much more.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

AI for blood test results still has a long way to go.

The AI models, including Gemini and ChatGPT, used by companies that do blood interpretation work aren't validated or benchmarked for this purpose, according to their makers, Google and OpenAI.

When Google recently partnered with Quest Diagnostics to bring an AI tool to customers of the nationwide lab work company, it focused on explaining medical terminology, identifying trends in their personal data, and suggesting questions to ask their doctor. It does not give medical guidance or lifestyle advice.

A spokesperson for the company said that while Google frequently publishes research on Gemini's medical benchmarks, the Quest partnership is designed to "solve real-world literacy and data-navigation challenges for patients."

OpenAI's HealthBench, which tests how well its models perform on realistic health scenarios, includes examples of understanding blood results, according to a company spokesperson. Still, OpenAI doesn't have a standalone benchmark for blood testing. 

Jonathan Kron, co-founder and CEO of the company BloodGPT, readily acknowledges that there are no widely accepted benchmarks for comprehensively interpreting blood tests at scale. 

During its early testing in 2024, BloodGPT found that uploading full lab reports directly to general-purpose chatbots like Claude and ChatGPT consistently yielded errors. Biomarkers were missed entirely or confused with each other. Sometimes the chatbot hallucinated recommendations. 

These experiences prompted BloodGPT to build what it calls a "structured pipeline" with multiple checks for validating its findings. While BloodGPT can swap out large language models based on their evolving strengths, the company currently uses enterprise Gemini, OpenAI, and Anthropic models for different tasks, including classification, reasoning, interpretation, and consistency checking. It also consults with specialists on specific biomarkers, like the reproductive hormones estrogen and testosterone, to check the accuracy and insight of its AI. 

Though BloodGPT considers its primary business selling software to other companies, including clinical laboratories, healthcare systems, and health diagnostic companies like LabCorp, it offers AI interpretation to individual consumers. Their consumer plans range from $9.99 to $17.99 per month.

The company says its algorithms are based on established clinical guidelines and validated medical reference data, and are tested iteratively by clinicians. BloodGPT hasn't published peer-reviewed research proving the success of its methods — yet. 

Kron says the company will embark on a massive research project using 100,000 de-identified patient records through a partnership with an Israeli health system. The goal is to benchmark BloodGPT's accuracy in multiple ways against the results contained in the patients' medical records. 

"We're not choosing the easy way here," Kron says. 

SEE ALSO: Read this before you use ChatGPT Health Why model accuracy is important

Dr. Girish N. Nadkarni, an internist and nephrologist at New York's Mt. Sinai Hospital, argues that companies selling an AI blood interpretation service need to demonstrate their success by comparing it retrospectively against de-identified patient data and by enrolling people in a prospective study that compares their AI findings to an expert's.

"I don't think that anything has to have 100 percent accuracy to succeed, because humans are not 100 percent accurate," says Nadkarni, an AI health researcher and director of Mt. Sinai's Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Health. "But the conversation becomes really hard because I don't know what the accuracy of this model is…how does it work, and where does it fail?" 

Nadkarni says current AI blood work products might be "OK" for a majority of patients, but problems may emerge at the extremes, such as missed diagnoses or false positives that cause anxiety and potentially harmful additional testing. 

Levels CEO Josh Clemente is an advocate of frequent blood testing. If cost weren't a concern, Clemente would recommend lab work far more often than the typical annual physical, for pro-active health monitoring.

Levels, which focuses on metabolic health, markets its subscription plans as a way to "live healthier, longer." Each tier offers access to the company's app and proprietary dashboards, along with glucose monitoring. But only two tiers, available for $499 and $1,499 annually, include lab work, clinician-reviewed reports, and AI health insights. 

Clemente currently favors Claude and Gemini for the Levels AI product, which is also trained on medical articles and biomarker research, plus Levels blog posts and podcasts featuring metabolic experts on topics like diet, weight loss, and hormones. 

The AI product derives its insight from these layers of information and guardrails, and a doctor reviews every lab work report that a consumer receives. An app-based AI chatbot also draws from Levels expert content to recommend lifestyle changes that could improve biomarkers like cholesterol and glucose. 

"We're using it again as a clinician support tool, which is, in my opinion, the right way to use these tools today," Clemente says. Levels is not currently conducting independent research on the accuracy of its AI product. 

Nadkarni supports human oversight, but cautions consumers against believing this is a failsafe. Instead, physicians can unwittingly fall victim to automation bias, or the tendency to rubber-stamp AI outputs. 

Can AI truly personalize blood test results?

Whoop, the wearable made famous by athletes like soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, just began offering blood testing last fall. One annual test is $199, but members can test six times a year for $899. The company partners with Quest to perform the lab work and, like Levels, has a physician review the results. 

Alexi Coffey, vice president of product at Whoop, says the company's AI product is powered by OpenAI and individual member data. She declined to comment on whether the company is pursuing clinical research on the accuracy of its AI. 

"We never want to over claim or over suggest relationships between things," Coffey says, "but we do want to provide value to our members by helping them understand things that may be connected." 

Coffey says that Whoop's ability to integrate physiological data — including heart rate, sleep quality, and exercise patterns — into blood work reports gives customers unique health insights. 

If, for example, a customer ran a marathon the day before their blood was drawn, the AI might take the physical stress into account when interpreting inflammation biomarkers. (Whoop actually advises its members to avoid strenuous physical activity prior to a blood draw because it may influence the results.) 

As promising as this sounds, Whyte, of the AMA, says there's no evidence demonstrating that such AI applications are "truly personalized." 

"I think we really have to question what the data is," he says, noting that companies would need a massive dataset to make individual recommendations. If these companies have that information, they haven't published peer-reviewed research based on it yet.

Blood tests are crucial diagnostic tools, Whyte says, but they're also the focus of social media hype, which often positions them as a silver bullet for fixing health challenges like low energy or sleeplessness. He warns consumers that some companies measure elements and minerals that "are not that helpful for anything." Hormone level testing can be similarly futile, depending on how it's done.

Until scientific research establishes the accuracy and meaningfulness of AI blood test interpretation, Whyte recommends patients use AI to help plainly explain their results, rather than relying on the technology to generate personalized insights for them. 

"People think a lab test is black and white and it's the final ruler on whether you have disease or not," Whyte says. "And that's not always true."

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The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.