Dr. ChatGPT is getting remarkably good at diagnosing health problems - but actual doctors are still better at weighing treatment options

Uncertainty is common in medicine, and AI isn’t very good at navigating it.

By: Andrew Parsons, University of Virginia, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: June 1, 2026

Words: 1,345

Last Updated: 1 month, 3 weeks ago

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By Andrew Parsons, University of Virginia

A father is worried about his toddler, who has been running a fever for two days and pulling at one ear. A 65-year-old woman has been getting winded on her morning walks and feeling more fatigued than usual. Both reach for their phones and type their symptoms into an AI chatbot.

“Your child likely has an ear infection,” the father learns. “Your symptoms could indicate a cardiac condition,” the …

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