Since its launch in Nov 2022, ChatGPT has astonished many in academia and professional circles with its ‘generative AI’ capabilities. Its ability to ‘learn’ knowledge and produce responses that mimic human writing is so strong that researchers have started using and crediting it as a co-author in scientific papers, causing ethical concerns. 

In the medical field, ChatGPT has passed a US medical licensing examination for aspiring doctors. Doctors have found it it can write ER medical charts resembling an actual doctor’s note and even used it to help draft appeals for medical insurance claims. Nonetheless, it comes with limits, which users soon found. For one, the literature references that ChatGPT uses were consistently found to be made up, casting doubt on the integrity of information it provides.

ChatGPT may not be ready to be your doctor just yet, but AI programmes could advance far enough to be used for basic diagnostic and wellness checks. The larger potential lies in its ability to predict and optimise resources in clinical and administrative operations. An estimated US$360 bil in healthcare costs could be saved should it hold up to its promise.

That said, can ChatGPT care for your health in a practical way now? Some people are already using it to generate their exercise and diet plans. If you wish to do so as well for a healthy start to 2023, you should treat an AI-generated plan skeptically, for now.