Despite Developers Pushing for AI to Give Medical Advice, Accuracy Remains Questionable

This past spring, Google rolled out a feature that enabled answers from its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot to begin appearing above normal search results, even for questions related to health issues. While this might seem like a good idea on paper, some concerns have been raised about the health advice provided by this AI overview feature.

About a week after the bot’s launch, a quick search saw Google AI recommend that individuals eat at least a small rock daily for minerals and vitamins. It was later determined that this answer was retrieved from a satirical post. Another user revealed that the search engine gave incorrect and potentially fatal information on what to do if an individual was bitten by a rattlesnake.

These issues come as software designers continue to test whether chatbots powered by AI can accurately give medical advice.

Google has since removed these inaccurate search results and restricted the inclusion of humor and satirical sites in its AI Overview. In a statement, a Google spokesperson explained that the majority of overviews offered high-quality data, noting that strong safety and quality guardrails were in place for health queries. These included disclaimers reminding individuals of the importance of seeking expert advice.

The spokesperson then noted that the company was focused on ensuring information provided in search results was reliable and of high quality.

Confirmation by CBS News notes that these fixes haven’t completely eliminated misinformation, however; one question asked when infants should begin eating solid food, and the bot gave “under six months” as its solution. This is wrong as infants aren’t supposed to start eating solid food until they hit at least six months.

Despite these errors, many leaders in the healthcare sector are optimistic about these AI-powered bots and how they can impact the industry. Stanford Healthcare chief data scientist, Dr. Nigam Shah, explains that this technology allows individuals to access the information they need. Shah notes that while he’s pessimistic about their use in the short-term, he expects the technologies to do a lot of good in the long-term.

The World Health Organization has already ventured into the artificial intelligence space with the launch of its chatbot, Sarah. Sarah obtains data from the organization’s website and trusted partners, which greatly reduces the risk of errors when providing answers to users. When asked how to reduce the risk of a heart attack, Sarah provided information on sleeping well, stress management and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Generally, it is expected that advancements in oversight and design will improve the performance of these bots.

The issue of bot accuracy is something that all players in the AI space, including Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE: PLTR), need to ensure because inaccuracies could derail customer confidence.

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