Is ChatGPT a Suitable Substitute for Doctors?

Thanks to today’s lightning-fast technology, it can feel like you have a doctor in your pocket. (Or as memes online call AI, “a doc in your poc.”)

As a parent, I understand how helpful ChatGPT can be when it comes to asking a quick medical question for yourself or your child.

Some argue that asking ChatGPT medical questions is no different than reading WebMD or watching medical experts on YouTube discuss a diagnosis or cure that might help on your child’s health and wellness journey. 

In fact, many people are now plugging their medical charts (often available through secure hospital portals) into ChatGPT to get detailed explanations of their symptoms. In cases like that, ChatGPT can be an amazing resource for both adults and kids.

But how do pediatricians feel about ChatGPT? Do they worry it’s replacing them—especially since getting a call back from a busy pediatrician can sometimes (understandably) take a while?

I asked a board-certified pediatrician to share his thoughts on ChatGPT, and how seriously parents should take its advice.

The Immediate Need for Answers

“Because of ChatGPT, there’s been an exponential increase in accessible information, paired with the ability to ask both broad and specific questions and quickly receive answers that feel definitive and human-like,” says Dr. Michael Glazier, Chief Medical Officer and board-certified pediatrician with Bluebird Kids Health in South Florida.

“ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI)–augmented programs are now exerting great influence in all aspects of our lives, including how we as patients and parents approach healthcare.”

According to Dr. Glazier, AI programs are designed to answer specific questions by drawing on vast resources, including textbooks, periodicals, and websites.

“Some of the resources ChatGPT incorporates are generally reputable and high-quality,” he says. “But others are not—and the challenge, often the impossibility, is telling the difference.”

Tread Carefully When Researching

His advice to parents: use ChatGPT for what it is—“an incredibly quick and often surprisingly broad compendium of information…but one that is neither perfect nor human.”

ChatGPT, he explains, can be an excellent starting point for research, but in its current state it should never be the final destination.

“It’s relatively common now for parents and patients to come in not necessarily open-minded and seeking a clinician’s advice, but rather looking for either the confirmation or refutation of a preconceived diagnosis they came to through utilization of ChatGPT,” he points out. “While this can sometimes be helpful, often it can be a distraction and also can unduly influence decision-making.”

He stresses that the whole body and full medical history must be considered…and that’s something ChatGPT simply cannot do.

The Risks of Substitution

What is most concerning, Dr. Glazier says, is when ChatGPT is used as a substitute for seeking real medical care. It’s simply not a doctor conducting an in-person diagnosis.

For example, he stresses, if a child has a fever and body aches, and their parents ask ChatGPT for advice, the program may recommend giving the child Advil and having them rest.

“But additional questioning could reveal neck stiffness and headache—which could be a sign of meningitis. The child should be taken immediately to the ER.”

While Dr. Glazier acknowledges that ChatGPT “has tremendous potential to accelerate positive change in many different arenas,” he adds, “as a pediatrician and parent, I am deeply concerned about its potential effects on childhood learning, development, and growth.”

Working Out the Brain

Dr. Glazier states that academically, ChatGPT shouldn’t be overused by students.

“Learning how to read music and solve math problems exercises a different part of the brain than reading poetry,” he says. “And exercise is how our brain develops, improves, and remains healthy.”

His overall conclusion: “If children do not exercise these parts of the brain, then–like any muscle in the body—they will atrophy and weaken. ChatGPT should be viewed as a useful tool in the proverbial toolbox, but it should not be the only tool.”

And that goes for making an at-home medical diagnosis as well.

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