Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
It was found that ChatGPT could be better than real doctors in terms of empathy and quality in patient interactions (Image courtesy of the National Cancer Institute via Unsplash).
Although there are many AI technologies existing today that are already helping in healthcare, more research needs to be done before AI becomes the future of healthcare.
Article by Isabel Cantor, Associate Medical Reporter
SAN DIEGO - As technology is continuing to advance and modernize, healthcare and medicine is also improving. However, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), it is likely that significant progress in the medical field could be made.
Artificial intelligence is a branch of computer science that designs technology to mimic human capabilities and problem-solving techniques, as well as to automate tasks. The field is becoming increasingly popular and widely used, especially in the workforce. This is because AI is capable of replacing jobs, due to how similar it is to people. It is possible that AI can be used to schedule doctor’s appointments, which could essentially end up replacing jobs.
Chatbots are a specific type of AI, and they mimic conversations. Siri is a prime example of a chatbot, as many people use it to ask questions. Another example of a chatbot is ChatGPT, which was released at the end of 2022. Also, Snapchat recently came out with a feature called “My AI,” which has conversations with Snapchat users, and makes them feel as if they are texting a real person.
In a recent study by researchers at the University of California San Diego that was published in JAMA Internal Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal, it was found that ChatGPT could be better than real doctors in terms of empathy and quality in patient interactions.
The study compared the responses of doctors to ChatGPT of 195 medical questions. Out of all the questions, approximately 80% of them were answered better by ChatGPT than by doctors.
Aside from ChatGPT, there are many other AI softwares that exist today, and some of them are designed specifically for the medical field.
Dereck Paul, the co-founder and CEO of the medical AI software Glass Health, released an experimental feature called Glass AI 2.0, which is AI intended to create treatment plans for patients. Doctors simply type in a brief patient summary, and soon receive a plan including diagnostic tests and treatments that could be used on the patient.
AI could also be used to accurately predict cases of diabetes. Cedar Gate Technologies announced an AI solution called Cedar Gate Analytics to detect the risk of diabetes. In a 12-month study that evaluated data of over 1.2 million patients, 80% of patients without diabetes that were predicted to develop diabetes ended up being diagnosed with diabetes the next year. Rajiv Mahale, Cedar Gate Technologies’ chief product and business development officer, stated that "we can confidently identify people who are at a higher risk of developing or being diagnosed with diabetes in the future."
Although there are many AI technologies existing today that are already helping in healthcare, more research needs to be done before AI becomes the future of healthcare.