John Reisman

As a young idealistic medical student in the 2000s, I thought my future job as a doctor would always be safe from artificial intelligence. At the time, it was already clear that machines would eventually outperform humans at the technical side of medicine.

As a young idealistic medical student in the 2000s, I thought my future job as a doctor would always be safe from artificial intelligence. At the time, it was already clear that machines would eventually outperform humans at the technical side of medicine.

Whenever I searched Google with a list of symptoms from a rare disease, for example, the same abstruse answers that I was struggling to memorize for exams reliably appeared within the first few results. But I was certain that the other side of practicing medicine, the human side, would keep my job safe. This side requires compassion, empathy, and clear communication between doctor and patient.

Whenever I searched Google with a list of symptoms from a rare disease, for example, the same abstruse answers that I was struggling to memorize for exams reliably appeared within the first few results. But I was certain that the other side of practicing medicine, the human side, would keep my job safe. This side requires compassion, empathy, and clear communication between doctor and patient.

As long as patients were still composed of flesh and blood, I figured, their doctors would need to be too. The one thing I would always have over AI was my bedside manner.

As long as patients were still composed of flesh and blood, I figured, their doctors would need to be too. The one thing I would always have over AI was my bedside manner.

Thank you for having me, Lynn.

Thank you for having me, Lynn.

Well, I have to say I was very surprised by ChatGPT's abilities, both on the technical side and just the verbal side of imitating human language to such an incredible degree, including very technical language that you expect sort of only from professionals who have studied some area for years and perhaps gotten several degrees.

Well, I have to say I was very surprised by ChatGPT's abilities, both on the technical side and just the verbal side of imitating human language to such an incredible degree, including very technical language that you expect sort of only from professionals who have studied some area for years and perhaps gotten several degrees.

Computers seemed good at deciphering the technical side of medicine, so I was not surprised by its abilities there. When I was a medical student, we used to Google things like blood in the urine, blood in the sputum, and it would come up with the rare rheumatologic diseases that we were going after and things like that. And it always got it right. So that side I was not surprised at.

Computers seemed good at deciphering the technical side of medicine, so I was not surprised by its abilities there. When I was a medical student, we used to Google things like blood in the urine, blood in the sputum, and it would come up with the rare rheumatologic diseases that we were going after and things like that. And it always got it right. So that side I was not surprised at.

But I think like many other people, I was very surprised by how good chat GPT was at mimicking humans, basically, and making you think that there was a human behind the words. And that goes for everything from technical explanations of medical concepts to even human conversation, which we often have in medicine.

But I think like many other people, I was very surprised by how good chat GPT was at mimicking humans, basically, and making you think that there was a human behind the words. And that goes for everything from technical explanations of medical concepts to even human conversation, which we often have in medicine.

So, I would say it was that sort of mimicking of humanity side that really caught me off guard as it did many other people.

So, I would say it was that sort of mimicking of humanity side that really caught me off guard as it did many other people.

Correct.

Correct.

Right, and I'm sorry to say perhaps many doctors are not either. I think a lot goes into what people perceive as an empathetic answer from a doctor. For instance, ChatGPT can generate language at a much quicker rate than a human.

Right, and I'm sorry to say perhaps many doctors are not either. I think a lot goes into what people perceive as an empathetic answer from a doctor. For instance, ChatGPT can generate language at a much quicker rate than a human.