Can users trust ChatGPT's cancer information? This is just one of the questions revolving around the popular AI chatbot.
A child wears a mask at a hospital for people suffering from leukemia in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on March 23, 2011. Ukrainian children and adults, some of them victims of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear plant accident, undergo medical treatment at the Oncological Hospital in Donetsk.
As of press time, OpenAI's artificial intelligence is still criticized. Aside from information accuracy, ChatGPT is also facing concerns about biases and harmful content that prompts created by bad users can generate.
Now, a new study decided to check if ChatGPT can really provide accurate cancer-related information. Here's what involved researchers discovered.
Can ChatGPT's Cancer Information Be Trusted?
According to SciTech Daily's latest report, the new study relied on the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) list.
This illustration picture shows the ChatGPT logo displayed on a smartphone in Washington, DC, on March 15, 2023. - Google on March 14, 2023, began letting some developers and businesses access the kind of artificial intelligence that has captured attention since the launch of Microsoft-backed ChatGPT last year.
This used the list of frequent cancer myths and misconceptions as their testing ground. Based on their findings, ChatGPT was able to provide cancer-related information with around 97% accuracy.
However, there's a catch. Involved researchers explained that the cancer information provided by ChatGPT could be misunderstood or misinterpreted by users.
Skyler Johnson, a University of Utah professor involved in the study, said that if users misunderstand ChatGPT's answers, it could lead to some bad decisions, especially with cancer patients.
"The team suggested caution when advising patients about whether they should use chatbots for information about cancer," he added.
Other Issues With ChatGPT's Cancer Information
Aside from being misunderstood, experts said that the cancer-related answers provided by the AI chatbot are sometimes unclear, vague, and indirect.
"I recognize and understand how difficult it can feel for cancer patients and caregivers to access accurate information," explained Johnson.
The main researcher added that ChatGPT's answers should be studied thoroughly. This will allow health experts to help cancer patients understand the online information available so that they can have proper answers about their diagnoses.
To learn more about this new research about ChatGPT, you can visit the official study on The National Cancer Institute Cancer Spectrum.
In other stories, the ChatGPT ban was lifted by New York City public schools. Meanwhile, the ChatGPT iOS app finally expanded in Brazil, Canada, and other countries.
For more news updates about ChatGPT and other AI models, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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