A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that ChatGPT, an AI chatbot, provided better answers to patients’ questions than human doctors in 79% of cases. The study evaluated 195 questions and answers from Reddit’s r/AskDocs, and a panel of licensed healthcare professionals evaluated the exchanges. ChatGPT’s answers were rated good or very good more than three times more often than doctors’ responses, and the AI was rated empathetic or very empathetic almost 10 times more often. The study’s authors say their work isn’t an argument in favor of ChatGPT over other AI tools, and they say that we don’t know enough about the risks and benefits for doctors to start using chatbots just yet. Physicians showed an overwhelming preference for AI written responses. However, there are concerns about the potential harms of AI, as it can make serious mistakes and even lie in some cases. The medical community needs to move with caution, and phase one studies are required to evaluate the benefits and discover and mitigate the potential harms. Tools like ChatGPT will make their way into the world of medicine, and they may even be a tool to combat the epidemic of misinformation and disinformation. Utilizing ChatGPT, doctors could work faster, giving patients the information they need without having to worry about grammar and spelling.
