I met a friend for breakfast last weekend. She has been struggling with some health issues for a few years, and is tired of the side-effects of prescribed medicine. So she used AI to come up with a list of natural alternatives.
It’s working for her. But I do not recommend the approach, because I’m not a doctor. Neither are you, or Google or ChatGPT. But her story led me to experiment.
Recently I had an MRI. I had the report within an hour, but that didn’t help. I only understood the one-syllable words, and adjectives like "normal". I needed to understand the rest of it.
Dr Google
First I did what we all do. I googled the phrases that worried me.
One advantage of this is that I can pick the search results to read. I choose the better known medical sites.
Dr Google suggested that:
- I may have had a stroke (I haven’t).
- I may be losing brain cells or at risk of Alzheimers (I really hope not).
- I must manage my high blood pressure (which I don’t have), and stop smoking (which I never have).
- I may have an inherited congenital eye problem that is visible at birth. If I have that, I don’t know why no-one has noticed it. I’ve been seeingseeing optometrists and opthalmologists for decades.
None of this was helpful. All of it was disturbing.
Dr AI
I tried GPT-5. Instead of searching for one symptom at a time, I could prompt for the combination.
Dr AI was very careful. First it asked me for my age, my gender and my country. This was to "tailor my explanation to the right medical context". Age and gender are necessary. But why country?
Then Dr AI asked for past medical conditions, and current medication. That impressed me, because that’s what any doctor should do. I gave abbreviated information, not the detail I would give a real doctor. That’s because there is no guarantee of privacy.
Dr AI then provided what it called a "differential diagnosis". A better description would have been a “list of possible explanations”.
It listed an explanation for each finding, with an estimate of its likelihood. The degree of certainty ranged from 50% to 70%.
It also offered a short summary, a list of questions to ask my doctor, lifestyle advice, and self-care tips.
Dr AI was gentle and reassuring, and advised me not to be alarmed.
Dr Real
My real doctor has the real big picture. He knows my history, my previous test results, and the reason he sent me for the MRI. He asks questions.
And I have a choice. I can change doctors if I don’t like him. I can ask for a second opinion.
Unlike Dr Google and Dr AI, Dr Real doesn’t come free. But there is a bigger disadvantage. I’m still waiting for an appointment.
And the winner is
Dr Google wins the title of "Prophet of Medical Doom". Abandon hope, all ye who read further.
Dr AI wins the title of "Prognostic Pollyanna". A digital placebo with a perfect bedside manner. It may hallucinate and send you to your doom, but it will do so with kindness. (Unless it’s based on Musk’s GrokAI; then it will be rude and unsympathetic.)
Dr Real wins the title of "Specialist in Suspense". And the suspense is not over yet.
Have you tried AI for medical information? I’d love to hear your views.
1 thought on “Coding matters: Doctor vs Doctor”
And unlike your real doctor, AI will try to explain everything in detail.
Some specialists just grunt some instructions to you and expect you to know what’s wrong with you.