ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot have all launched “Health” versions of their chatbots. They claim that these versions are “safe spaces” where you can confidentially talk about your health and fitness goals. These chatbots might even encourage you to link your health records so they can more accurately answer questions you ask about your health concerns.
None of these AI chatbots are currently held to HIPAA, the healthcare privacy standards all doctors and hospitals use. Any information you give to a chatbot about your health may be saved or stored in a way that compromises its security and privacy. If you want to ask a chatbot about a health-related topic, it can be safer to ask more general questions about a diagnosis or symptom, without giving it your name, test results, or other sensitive information. Also, chatbots still hallucinate, or make up false information. Always double check with a doctor before acting on anything you read from an AI chatbot.
On the other hand, AI can help healthcare providers in many ways. Because it is built for pattern recognition, it can use small details in scans and test results to help doctors make diagnoses, especially for rare diseases, or early cancer detection. It can also help manage large lists of emergency patients and their symptoms to help doctors determine which emergencies are most life-threatening and to get faster results of tests. Harvard Medical School ran tests using AI in real emergency rooms, and found that “A model might get the top diagnosis right but also suggest unnecessary testing that could expose a patient to harm. Humans should be the ultimate baseline when it comes to evaluating performance and safety.”
Some doctors are also using AI dictation to take notes during appointments. University California at San Francisco explains that doctors use it to make appointments more personal—they can focus on talking to you, instead of typing and listening at the same time. The article also points out that you can ask the doctor to not take AI notes. Finally, at least at this provider, the notes are not the final record. The doctor goes back and reviews everything before creating the final report that goes in your file. You can check with your providers if and how they are using AI to help in their work.
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Check out this booklist about AI and Health.
Healthcare is no exception to changing with new technology. Here are some books about the impact AI and other tech is having on medicine.
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