Use of AI for self-prescription poses risk to human life: Doctors
They believe that while there are many advantages of using the Internet, there are no less problems impacting everyday lives because of it
image for illustrative purpose
Potential dangers of self-medication include inaccurate self-diagnosis and the misuse of medications, leading to potentially hazardous drug interactions or incorrect dosages
Hyderabad: Use of Artificial Intelligence (IA) for self-diagnosis and prescription poses significant risk to human life, warn healthcare professionals.
On Doctors’ Day, they voiced concern over the growing trend of patients depending on Internet search results even for serious ailments.
They believe that while there are many advantages of using the Internet, there are no less problems impacting everyday lives because of it.
Ease in life and potential risks, both multiplied over the last couple of years, if not more, with the entry of AI and Machine Learning (ML), which are fast overtaking our lives, say doctors.
According to them, the Internet has emerged as a primary source of health information, fuelling a rise in unsupervised self-medication practices. AI has introduced a new facet to this trend, which poses significant risks to human life.
Engaging in such unchecked behaviour presents grave threats and may result in fatal consequences if incorrect medications are consumed due to misjudgement.
Potential dangers of self-medication include inaccurate self-diagnosis and the misuse of medications, leading to potentially hazardous drug interactions or incorrect dosages, they said.
AI works based on data input, and in healthcare data has to be accurate to the last decimal to ensure perfect diagnosis of the ailment to provide best medication or treatment.
Hundred per cent accuracy is certainly not possible when it comes to providing data by non-healthcare practitioners.
“The Internet, especially AI, is developed and dominated by the western world, especially the US. Basic information available on AI platforms could be those associated with the geography and demography of the West. “Such information may or may not be suitable to people in India, because the information available will only be to the closest and not the most accurate,” Dr. Gayatri Kamineni, COO, Kamineni Hospitals said.
