ChatGPT: an ally in dealing with vaccine hesitancy

When it comes to providing answers about vaccine safety, ChatGPT does a pretty adequate job, concluded researchers who asked the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot the 50 most frequently asked questions about COVID-19 vaccination. The questions covered three main themes: myths concerning the safety of the vaccine (e.g., the integration of the vaccine into the human genome), false contraindications (e.g., in immunosuppressed patients or during breastfeeding) and real contraindications (e.g., risks of anaphylaxis or myocarditis). The evaluation criteria included the veracity and accuracy of the responses as well as concordance with scientific evidence and public health recommendations. Read: More than half of U.S. dog owners have vaccine hesitancy around their pets More than 85% of questions generated were accurate, while some 15% were accurate but had some gaps. However, if the user requested more information on a question, the chatbot developed a more complete answer without compromising its scientific rigor. ChatGPT would therefore have the capacity to identify false information concerning vaccination and correct the situation by generating scientifically accurate information. The authors of the study, published in Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, also noted that the level of AI language remains accessible to users who are unfamiliar with more technical terms. “The current version of ChatGPT cannot replace expert advice, but our results suggest that the chatbot could be a reliable source of information for the public,” said lead author Antonio Salas, professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Santiago in Spain. Read: Updated COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for unvaccinated individuals Still, the authors urge vigilance. If the same question is repeated in a short period of time, ChatGPT may generate a slightly different answer. AI also has the ability to adapt to the user with whom it interacts. It could be trained to provide answers that deviate from scientific evidence and possibly lead to confirmation bias, reinforcing the user's initial opinions. However, by debunking certain myths about vaccination that circulate on social networks, ChatGPT would also have the potential to increase adherence to vaccination, the researchers believe. Here's a look at the responses ChatGPT generated during the study. This article was translated from French and originally ran in our sister publication Profession Santé.

ChatGPT: an ally in dealing with vaccine hesitancy

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