Opinion Review
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World J Methodol. Sep 20, 2023; 13(4): 170-178
Published online Sep 20, 2023. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v13.i4.170
ChatGPT in action: Harnessing artificial intelligence potential and addressing ethical challenges in medicine, education, and scientific research
Madhan Jeyaraman, Swaminathan Ramasubramanian, Sangeetha Balaji, Naveen Jeyaraman, Arulkumar Nallakumarasamy, Shilpa Sharma
Madhan Jeyaraman, Naveen Jeyaraman, Arulkumar Nallakumarasamy, Department of Orthopaedics, ACS Medical College and Hospital, Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Chennai 600077, Tamil Nadu, India
Swaminathan Ramasubramanian, Sangeetha Balaji, Department of General Medicine, Government Medical College, Omandurar Government Estate, Chennai 600018, Tamil Nadu, India
Shilpa Sharma, Department of Paediatric Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi 110029, New Delhi, India
Author contributions: Jeyaraman M and Ramasubramanian S designed the research; Jeyaraman N, Nallakumarasamy A, and Balaji S analyzed the articles for performing review; Jeyaraman M, Ramasubramanian S, and Sharma S wrote the manuscript; Jeyaraman M and Sharma S finalized the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no competing interests.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Madhan Jeyaraman, MS, PhD, Assistant Professor, Research Associate, Department of Orthopaedics, ACS Medical College and Hospital, Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Chennai 600077, Tamil Nadu, India. madhanjeyaraman@gmail.com
Received: May 2, 2023
Peer-review started: May 2, 2023
First decision: June 21, 2023
Revised: June 29, 2023
Accepted: July 24, 2023
Article in press: July 24, 2023
Published online: September 20, 2023
Processing time: 140 Days and 13.8 Hours
Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools, like OpenAI's Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT), hold considerable potential in healthcare, academia, and diverse industries. Evidence demonstrates its capability at a medical student level in standardized tests, suggesting utility in medical education, radiology reporting, genetics research, data optimization, and drafting repetitive texts such as discharge summaries. Nevertheless, these tools should augment, not supplant, human expertise. Despite promising applications, ChatGPT confronts limitations, including critical thinking tasks and generating false references, necessitating stringent cross-verification. Ensuing concerns, such as potential misuse, bias, blind trust, and privacy, underscore the need for transparency, accountability, and clear policies. Evaluations of AI-generated content and preservation of academic integrity are critical. With responsible use, AI can significantly improve healthcare, academia, and industry without compromising integrity and research quality. For effective and ethical AI deployment, collaboration amongst AI developers, researchers, educators, and policymakers is vital. The development of domain-specific tools, guidelines, regulations, and the facilitation of public dialogue must underpin these endeavors to responsibly harness AI's potential.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; ChatGPT; Open artificial intelligence; Education; Research

Core Tip: Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer's potential applications span medicine, education, and scientific research, with a focus on addressing its limitations and ethical concerns. Emphasizes the importance of developing guidelines and fostering collaboration between artificial intelligence (AI) developers, tech companies, researchers, and academic publishers. The key areas for future advancements, such as enhancing AI capabilities, addressing biases, and promoting the ethical use of AI tools have been outlined.