AI May Be More Empathetic Than Real Doctors
There has been a recent study published in the journal JAMA Network that reveals something quite interesting. Artificial intelligence (AI) may end up being more empathetic than real doctors when it comes to assisting patients in times of need. The study shows that healthcare is about to undergo a significant change as AI mimics human cognitive processes.
Doctors not only help patients with their physical complications, but they also provide them with emotional support and empathy. While comparing doctor and AI responses to over 200 medical questions, the study discovered that around 80% of ChatGPT's solutions were more nuanced, accurate, and comprehensive than those provided by doctors.
ChatGPT is an AI chatbot released in November 2022. "For the first time, we compared AI and physicians' responses to the same patient messages, and AI won in a landslide," says John Ayers, the study leader from the Qualcomm Institute at the University of California, San Diego. "This doesn't mean AI will replace your physician. But it does mean a physician using AI can potentially respond to more messages with higher-quality responses and more empathy."
It's important to note that this doesn't mean doctors will become obsolete. However, AI can help physicians respond to more messages with higher-quality responses and more empathy. The research team emphasized how the COVID-19 pandemic had caused an increase in the number of people seeking virtual medical attention.
To see how ChatGPT answers, Healthnews asked the AI tool for some answers regarding fatigue. Here is what it said: "If you're feeling fatigued, there are several things you can try to help alleviate your symptoms: Remember that everyone's body is different, so it may take some trial and error to find the strategies that work best for you."
The study shows that AI messaging doesn't operate under any restrictions, which is the new benefit of using AI in medicine. With AI, less time will be spent by doctors studying verbs, nouns, and conjugation, and more time will be spent on medical treatment. However, there may be challenges. Ayers agreed that the advantages emphasized in a study context don't necessarily apply in the real world.
The results point to the possibility of an AI revolution in public health, however, Ayers warns against merely turning on and marketing the product at random. "We do need to focus on patient outcomes and make sure this technology has a positive impact on public health. But our study is very promising, and I'm pretty optimistic."
