Opinion: AI can’t replicate this key part of practicing medicine
Any assertion that AI will replace health care providers or make our roles less important is pure hyperbole.
I’ve heard “WebMD said it could be cancer” countless times in my 15 years working as an emergency medicine physician. I get it: When someone is feeling unwell or hoping a worrying symptom will go away, it makes sense for them to turn to easily accessible resources. As people become increasingly familiar with artificial intelligence platforms like ChatGPT, it’s only a matter of time before patients turn to these tools in search of a diagnosis or second opinion.
Change is already on the horizon. ChatGPT passed the United States Medical Licensing Exams, the series of standardized tests required for medical licensure in the U.S. And recently the New England Journal of Medicine announced NEJM AI, a whole new journal devoted fully to artificial intelligence in clinical practice. These and many other developments have left many wondering (and sometimes worrying) what role AI will have in the future of health care. It’s already predicting how long patients will stay in the hospital, denying insurance claims, and supporting pandemic preparedness efforts.
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