"Blood cancer" diagnosis dismissed for "real doctor's accuracy"... ChatGPT was right in the end

Diagnosing More Accurately Than Doctors
"Final Diagnosis Must Always Be Made by a Medical Professional"

There have been a series of cases where the generative artificial intelligence (AI) ChatGPT made more accurate diagnoses than doctors, drawing significant attention.

According to foreign media outlets such as the Daily Mail on April 24 (local time), a 27-year-old French woman, referred to as Ms. A, discovered cancer that had not been detected at the hospital thanks to ChatGPT. Since January last year, Ms. A had been experiencing skin irritation and nighttime fevers, but she believed these symptoms were psychological issues arising after her father's death. As the symptoms persisted, she underwent blood tests at a hospital, but no abnormalities were found. The medical staff told her that all her numbers were within the normal range.

There has been a case where the generative artificial intelligence (AI) ChatGPT made a more accurate diagnosis than a doctor. Pixabay

However, wanting to know the exact cause of her symptoms, Ms. A described what she was experiencing to ChatGPT, which responded that it could be blood cancer. Shocked by the analysis, Ms. A did not trust ChatGPT's assessment. People around her also advised, "A real doctor will be more accurate in diagnosing you."

Several months after ignoring ChatGPT's suggestion, Ms. A began to suffer from chest pain and chronic fatigue. Upon undergoing further tests, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of malignant lymphoma and is considered a form of blood cancer.

A similar incident occurred in the United States. The British media outlet The Sun covered the story of Ms. B, who had difficulty bending her fingers since February last year. A doctor suspected rheumatoid arthritis, but related tests came back negative. Then, in September of the same year, she experienced severe abdominal pain, visited a hospital, and was diagnosed with acid reflux.

However, sensing that something else was wrong with her body, Ms. B entered her symptoms into ChatGPT, which responded, "It seems like you have Hashimoto's disease." Hashimoto's disease is a condition in which immune cells attack the thyroid gland, causing inflammation and significantly increasing the risk of developing thyroid cancer and other related diseases.

Ms. B was subsequently diagnosed as positive for Hashimoto's disease and also discovered she had thyroid cancer. She is currently undergoing cancer treatment.

Ms. B expressed relief, saying, "If I hadn't asked ChatGPT, the cancer could have spread elsewhere while I was mistakenly taking arthritis medication. ChatGPT saved my life."

Medical experts commented on these cases, stating, "These are examples that show the potential for AI technology to be used as a diagnostic support tool." However, they added, "A final diagnosis must always be made by a medical professional."