AI-Powered 'Death Clock' App Sparks Health Awareness and Lifestyle Reflections

I used the viral Death Clock AI app to predict when I'll die -- now I want to prove it wrong

Knowing the exact day and time of your death is something science fiction movies have toyed with for many years. "Minority Report" is the best example, but TV shows like the poorly-named Class of '09 on FX starring Kate Mara also touched on similar themes. Recently, I found out about an app called Death Clock, available for both iOS and Android, that brings those sci-fi themes to life. While it won't tell you the exact time of death, the app does predict the day and year of your demise -- based on a series of questions and relying on scientific studies about health and fitness. I decided to test it out and was surprised by the results -- mostly because it's now motivating me to prove the app wrong. Once you download Death Clock, you can create an account and start answering the questions right away. Fair warning that the app does force you to sign up for a three-day trial, but you can cancel it before the charges start. (The app is only $40 per year, though.) I went into this with some fear and trepidation, to be honest. My mother and brother both died at an early age from complications related to diabetes, and I haven't always lived the healthiest life. I don't even trust an AI to crunch the numbers about my bank account these days, and ChatGPT isn't perfectly accurate. Would Death Clock mess up my AI prediction as well? Turns out, not at all. Somehow, Death Clock guides you through the process with a dose of empathy and understanding. The questions are more open ended. Most of them give you a wide range of options. For example, when asked about eating vegetables, I could choose from four different options, from rarely to frequently. A question about lifting weights also gave me an "out" because I could select less than once a week as opposed to rarely or never. In other words, you're not locked into an either-or scenario where you feel badly about yourself after answering the questions. "Are you working out a lot or a total couch potato?" is not one of the questions. I felt good about my answers, and my "death date" seemed reasonable. I did wish the app had explored more of my family history, though. While that might be hard to accept, it's a reality and worth considering. I suspect Death Clock didn't want to pry. In the end, I did find Death Clock to be useful. My "death date" is not set in stone, and the app goes to great lengths to convince you of that. Essentially, it's a new spin on a health and fitness app since there's plenty of guidance about foods you eat and how much you exercise. The survey data is based on 1,200 life expectancy studies and, while I can't vouch for their veracity, I can say this is not just a shot in the dark. I went through the app a second time and my results were slightly different. I answered a question about how much I exercise a little more truthfully, for example. Death Clock even made suggestions that would extend my lifespan a bit. That was where it was most useful -- motivating me to take my health more seriously. I recommend Death Clock for that reason. It's a smart and worthwhile app. For me, the main benefit was in knowing how my choices could impact how long I'm on this planet. It's also proof that AI is here to help us, not just take away jobs or pretend to be an overlord.

This 'Death Clock' App Made Me Rethink My Life

An app that predicts your death sounds depressing, but I actually found it hopeful. I'll download any app I get an ad for -- this fact has been established over and over again. Because the algorithm knows me well, that usually means I am served up advertisements for apps and services that revolve around fashion and beauty. Yet I also have a hidden introspective side, though, again, apparently not hidden from the algorithm: Over the weekend, I was encouraged to download something called Death Clock AI. This app claimed it could guess when I'll die based on my data, correlated to some scientific studies. How could I say no to that? Now, I do not believe I actually will die on Friday, June 30, 2079, as the app predicted, nor do I really think an app is the best answer to charting my healthiest path forward in life. While the app did give me suggestions for improving my overall health, that's no substitute for discussing things with my doctor. Still, the app did make me think a little bit deeper about how I'm living, which I think makes it potentially valuable. And it's also just kinda neat. What is Death Clock AI? When you first open the app (available on iOS or Google Play), you're greeted by a screen that says you can "live longer, better," then asked to tap a button that says, "See my death date." Before you get that, you'll need to more than 30 questions about your habits and health. It will then crunch those numbers and deliver the news. The app claims to be "backed by science, powered by AI," and pulls its information from 1,217 studies that involved a combined population of 53 million participants. While the app does ask you about your age and some background questions, though, your stats may not match up with those of the participants. And the app does nothing to account for your own family and health history, or other important factors like risks you face at work or social factors that may affect your health. Still, with each question it asks -- like "How often do you include fruits and veggies in your meals?" -- you are given the opportunity to explore the research it is based on. Tapping on the research button for that particular question opens a pop-up that notes, "Research from 16 studies involving over 833,000 participants show that each additional daily serving of fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of death from all causes by 5%, with benefits peaking at five servings per day." Some questions may be harder to answer. While you can pretty reliably indicate how often you do cardio in a week or the number of hours you spend sitting each day, other things -- like how often you "experience significant stress in your daily life" -- are more subjective. On the other end of the spectrum, there are specific questions you may not know the answer to offhand, like about your typical blood pressure reading or your LDL cholesterol level. I certainly don't know my fasting glucose level off the top of my head, so I had to answer "I don't know" a few times; this will affect your overall results. When you finish the quiz, you'll be informed you'll get to use the service for free for three days, at which point you'll be charged a $0 annual fee. What are you paying for? Well, once Death Clock AI calculates your "death date" based on your answers, it also provides a "better" (that is, farther in the future) date that you can aim for by synching you phone's health data with the app and, over time, following through on its advice for improving your health. I can't vouch for how worthwhile that is, because I didn't use Death Clock AI over an extended period. But even a short-term trial gave me plenty to think about. How Death Clock AI made me rethink my health Again, even though the developers were smart to base their app on reputable studies, I don't think you should take Death Clock AI's predictions too seriously. Instead, I thought of it as an excuse to reconsider my own health -- the same way I treat the data from my fitness trackers and smart scale. It should be considered a given that this data is never truly accurate, but even stopping to think about how often I eat fresh vegetables or how often I stand up on an average day was a minor wake-up call. The drama of getting my "death date" is more of an amusing bonus. Death Clock AI delivered me a "longevity plan" that includes recommended bloodwork and labs, supplements, screenings, and things to talk about with my doctor. If you're someone who wants to dig in deeper on your health but isn't sure where to start, this information could be helpful. For each item on the list, the app provides the steps you need to take to follow up on it, and it even notes whether it's typically covered by insurance. The final screen you see is a reminder that Death Clock AI "does not provide medical advice" and you should talk to a real doctor about any concerns you have about your health. That's definitely true. If you already have identified the habits or behaviors that are likely to impact your health now and in the future, you probably don't need this app. But if you are looking for a way to think more deeply about your health, or need a framework for where to start, it's a solid -- if slightly silly -- starting point.

This viral AI death clock app might actually help you live longer - here's how

Want to know how much time you have left on Earth? This AI - available now for iOS and Android - takes a guess and tells you what you can do about it. A viral "Death Clock" app is using artificial intelligence to let people know not just when they're going to die, but how. Using AI to analyze your diet, sleep, health information, lifestyle, drinking habits, and relationship status, the app calculates how long you'll likely live (providing an exact date) and what factors might influence that number. After you download the app (for Android or iOS), Death Clock will ask you to take a questionnaire. (It took me less than 5 minutes to complete.) You'll provide basic information such as how much water you drink, how much you sleep, your BMI, if you eat sugary sweets, and if you exercise. You'll also provide more specific data like your blood pressure and blood sugar numbers. (I didn't have the exact number when I took the quiz.) Each question is backed by scientific research, the app says, and you can tap to see how that specific factor affects your score. When I finished the questionnaire, I got my results. The Death Clock told me I'll live to be 80 (so I'm a little over halfway there at 42) under my current conditions. With better habits, though, I could potentially add 14 more years to my life, finally clocking out at 94. Once I saw how much time I had left, the app offered a personalized longevity plan for $39 a year (but there is a free 7-day trial). When I first opened my longevity plan, the app recommended that I have comprehensive bloodwork and cancer screenings done by a doctor and that I take daily supplements. Many of the recommendations were obvious - more water, more exercise, and better eating habits - but some were based on my specific answers and things everyone my age should do. I suspect if I had entered all my exact numbers, my recommendations would have been even more personal. Also: Your next Apple Watch or AirPods could have life-changing features thanks to this new initiative What's interesting about these results, though, is that they do vary from person to person depending on answers. Some of my wife's recommendations were the same, but most weren't. The app does seem to consider your specific answers and make a plan based on your input. Some recommendations are a little dubious (the app also told another ZDNET editor that a sauna could "detoxify the body"), but most are solid advice. At its core, Death Clock is a health app with the goal of helping you live longer. It didn't necessarily tell me anything I didn't know, but it did bring those things to the front of my mind and show me the real impact making a few decisions might have. The prospect of seeing just how close death might be - down to the minute - might seem a little morbid, but it's helpful to know there's something you can do about it.