Every day, more than 40 million people turn to ChatGPT to get answers to their health-related queries, according to a report released this week by digital media company Axios.
Based on exclusive data provided by OpenAI, over 5% of all ChatGPT queries are about health care with users asking 1.6 to 1.9 million health insurance questions per week.
The top queries, according to the report, concern decoding medical bills, spotting overcharges on medical statements, appealing insurance denials, entering symptoms and health data to get information, seeking guidance when access to doctors is limited, and health insurance questions including guidance on comparing plans, claims, billing, and coverage details.
According to an assessment of anonymized discussions and a survey of users by the AI-powered tool Knit, patients consider ChatGPT an “ally” when it comes to health care.
Other key takeaways of the report include:
– in remote rural areas, users send nearly 600,000 health care-related messages every week
– seven in 10 health-related queries in ChatGPT take place outside of normal clinic hours.
Analysts note however that ChatGPT can give wrong, misleading and potentially dangerous advice, particularly on mental health issues.
In response, OpenAI said that it has taken action to strengthen how ChatGPT responds to health-related queries with the help of clinicians. Newer models focus on asking users follow-up questions and also browse the internet for the latest research. Conversations also encourage users to seek professional evaluation.
Source: tovima.com
