Researchers from the University of California recently published a study in JAMA Internal Medicine that revealed ChatGPT, an AI chatbot, can provide more accurate and sympathetic advice to patient questions than doctors. The research included 195 questions and responses, comparing ChatGPT to those provided by healthcare professionals. After evaluation by a panel of three licensed healthcare professionals, ChatGPT was preferred 79% of the time, while also being rated higher in terms of quality and empathy.
The paper was headed by Dr John W Ayers from the Qualcomm Institute within the University of California San Diego. Dr Ayers stated that AI could improve healthcare, referring to it as ‘AI augmented care’ which may revolutionize medicine in conjunction with medical professionals.
In order to provide a diverse range of questions and answers without engaging in violating any patient privacy, the team turned to Reddit’s subreddit r/AskDocs. Here,452000 people post health-related questions and receive a response from verified healthcare professionals.
The research team emphasizes that ChatGPT is not intended to replace doctors and their opinion, but rather to support it. A wider study is needed to determine the effects that AI can have on the medical system.
ChatGPT is a platform created by Qualcomm, an American multinational semiconductor and telecommunications equipment company. Qualcomm is renowned for having developed numerous technologies and inventions, with its key products being the Snapdragon series of processors, used in both smartphones and electronic devices. Qualcomm also has interests in 5G technology, automotive, and augmented reality software.
Dr Aaron Goodman, an associate clinical professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine, co-authored the study. He has research interests in digital health and mHealth technologies, particularly on how these can effect patient outcomes. He also has experience in complex clinical trials and developing health technology interventions.
