ChatGPT AI messaging system has higher empathy than doctors - Study
According to a study by the University of California, ChatGPT, the AI-assisted messaging system, was found to be more empathetic and gave better advice than doctors for the majority of medical questions. The study involved three physicians who rated responses to 195 questions posted by anxious patients on the AskDocs forum of Reddit. The healthcare professionals preferred ChatGPT advice 79% of the time and found that the AI response was nearly 10 times more empathetic than physicians.
While doctors tend to give brusque, clinical answers, ChatGPT often added words of comfort, such as “I’m sorry to hear that you got bleached splashed in your eye” or “Try not to worry too much”. The experts found that the AI's advice was of better quality and had higher empathy.
Dr John Ayers of the Qualcomm Institute within the University of California San Diego, who led the study, stated, “This doesn't mean AI will replace your physician, but working together might make the best messages possible. Patient messages are at risk of going unanswered or getting poor responses. AI-assisted messaging could be a game changer that improves outcomes for both parties.”
Although there has been widespread speculation about the impact of AI in medicine, this study suggests ChatGPT could be a useful tool for doctors. It could provide a template for doctors to respond to patients, and assist in reducing their workload.
However, the study had limitations as the questions were limited, and it only involved physicians. It is essential to conduct more extensive research on a broader scale before drawing any definitive conclusions.
The study was published in the Jama Internal Medicine journal.
