Medical Economics (6/4, Littrell) reports, “Artificial intelligence (AI) can process vast amounts of medical data and deliver clinical-grade responses, but a new international study suggests it still falls short where human connection matters most.” The study “compared 7,165 medical queries answered by either AI models or human clinicians in the United States and Australia.” Researchers found “that AI-generated responses often matched expert standards for accuracy and professionalism, particularly for factual or procedural medical questions. In some cases, AI outperformed human clinicians in consistency and clarity – particularly in length and format.” However, performance broke down “when it came to more nuanced ‘why’ or ‘how’ questions,” as AI models “sometimes failed to fully grasp the clinical context or emotional weight of sensitive cases, like mental health concerns or end-of-life discussions.” Additionally, AI models “leaned heavily on clinical jargon, sometimes alienating or confusing patients.” The study was published in the Journal of Health Organization and Management.
Related Links:
— “AI can aid diagnoses, but human touch still matters,”Austin Littrell, Medical Economics, June 4, 2025