ChatGPT and Medicine: Fears, Fantasy, and the Future of Physicians

The generative artificial intelligence (AI) ChatGPT has attracted media attention for its ability to answer a wide variety of questions with a human-like writing style, including questions from the USMLE licensing examination. Some wonder if this indicates physicians’ eventual demise at AI’s hands. On the contrary, physicians contribute a unique skill set that technology cannot reproduce or replicate. ChatGPT also has critical limitations that will likely prevent it from replacing human operators or thinkers. Furthermore, the challenges from and worries over new technology are nothing new, with professionals and industries historically adapting to these changes.