Artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT have gained popularity as they promise to revolutionize information and transform the public health industry. ChatGPT, part of a new generation of AI systems, can converse and generate readable text on demand, but experts suggest it falls short in some areas related to public health questions. However, a recent study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that AI assistants like ChatGPT have the potential to address mental health issues and help sexual assault victims.
The study found that ChatGPT consistently provided evidence-based answers to public health questions, primarily offering advice rather than referrals, outperforming benchmark evaluations of other AI assistants from 2017 and 2020. It provided evidence-based responses to 91% of public health questions belonging to four categories, addiction, interpersonal violence, mental health, and physical health. Responses echoed the type of support that might be given by a subject matter expert.
The researchers said that many of the people who will turn to AI assistants like ChatGPT are doing so because they have no one else to turn to. However, the study showed that AI bots are falling short. In the study, only 22% of responses made referrals to specific resources to help the questioner, despite the availability of resources for all questions asked.
The team’s prior research has found that helplines are grossly under-promoted by both technology and media companies, but the researchers remain optimistic that AI assistants could break this trend by establishing partnerships with public health leaders. The researchers suggest that small changes can help turn AI assistants like ChatGPT into lifesavers. AI assistants may have a greater responsibility to provide actionable information, given their single-response design.
Public health agencies can disseminate a database of recommended resources, especially since AI companies potentially lack subject matter expertise to make these recommendations, and these resources could be incorporated into fine-tuning responses to public health questions. The partnership between public health agencies and AI companies must be established to promote public health resources with demonstrated effectiveness.
In conclusion, ChatGPT has the potential to offer accurate and actionable information to the general public, helping address mental health issues and provide support to sexual assault victims. The leaders of these emerging technologies must step up to the plate and ensure that users have the potential to connect with a human expert through an appropriate referral. This will help AI assistants improve their ability to provide the necessary help and support users seek.
