Generative AI for Health Information: A Guide to Safe Use
“Dr. Google” is the first place many turn to when looking for answers to a new itch, bump, or pain. But with the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, many are wondering if they can be used to perform the same tasks—and maybe even do a better job.
AI is already being used in health care. For diagnostics in radiology, for example, AI tools may help detect lung nodules in CT scans. AI-produced algorithms have also been helpful in bridging a gap between complex data and clinical decision-making. In this context, AI creates algorithms based on patterns in raw data to find connections (such as between a genetic mutation and a medical condition—or clusters of symptoms to a particular disease) that would be very hard, if not impossible, for a person to identify.
However, that is not the same as someone opening their laptop and using generative AI to answer a medical question.
Below, Yale doctors answer questions about generative AI and how to use it safely when seeking medical information online.
What is generative AI?
Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can produce content, including text, music, art, and images. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, and Microsoft’s Copilot are a few examples of generative AI platforms that let users enter prompts (or questions) to receive humanlike answers within seconds. (These platforms are separate from a standard web search.)
For example, you could use generative AI to summarize the plot of a book or movie, or to draft a letter of a general length and particular tone. Most of the platforms are free, but many require you to enter a telephone number and/or email address to use them.
Are people really using AI for health information?
F. Perry Wilson, MD, a Yale Medicine nephrologist, says that many patients seem to still be more comfortable using Google for health questions.
“There has been a lot in the news about the inaccuracies of generative AI in health care, and that might have scared some people off,” he says. “However, I think this will change as search engines start to include generative AI into routine searches.”
“I am floored by the speed at which all of this has moved,” Dr. Wilson adds. “A future in which people start to triage their medical problems through generative AI is not far away.”
