When doctors work with artificial intelligence, their patients consider them less competent, empathetic and trustworthy, new research suggests. — Photo: Sebastian Kahnert/dpa
BERLIN: Doctors who work with artificial intelligence (AI) are rated less favourably by patients, according to psychologists from the University of Würzburg and Charité Berlin.
A study they conducted found that doctors who state they use AI in their work are perceived as less competent, trustworthy, and empathetic. These reservations were evident even when AI was not used for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes but only for administrative tasks.
The information was obtained after 1,276 adult participants from the United States were shown advertisements for medical practices and asked to evaluate various characteristics of the doctors depicted, according to the study published in the scientific journal JAMA Network Open.
The advertisements differed in only one aspect, according to the psychologists: a statement indicating that the doctor used AI for administrative, diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. A control group was shown the same advertisement without any mention of AI.
Why do patients apparently have a negative perception of doctors who work with AI? The authors of the study, Moritz Reis and Professor Wilfried Kunde from Würzburg and Florian Reis from the Institute of Medical Informatics at Charité Berlin, suspect one reason could be the fear that doctors might blindly follow AI recommendations.
As in many other fields, AI is playing an increasingly significant role in modern medicine. However, the researchers noted that a trusting relationship between patient and doctor is crucial for successful treatment.
"When doctors inform their patients about the use of AI, they should aim to address potential concerns and highlight possible benefits," the authors summarised in a statement from the Julius Maximilian University.
Doctors, for instance, could have more time for their patients if part of the administrative workload is handled by AI. "Despite increasing technologisation, AI could even make our healthcare system more humane in this way," they said. – dpa
