Researchers from the University of Liverpool have tested whether the AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT could be used to make decisions about prescribing patients with antibiotics.
ChatGTP was given a series of infection scenarios that might have you heading for your family doctor. But although the bot understood the scenarios, including the need to prescribe antibiotics for bacterial infections, its advice was found to be unsafe for complex cases and where important information was missing.
The study does demonstrate the potential of AI, though. As co-author, Dr. Alex Howard said, “It was fascinating to see the potential of artificial intelligence in health care demonstrated through this experiment testing ChatGPT’s ability to give antibiotic treatment advice.”