Artificial intelligence-powered chatbots are getting pretty good at diagnosing some diseases, even when they are complex. But how do chatbots do when guiding treatment and care after the diagnosis? For example, how long before surgery should a patient stop taking prescribed blood thinners? Should a patient's treatment protocol change if they've had adverse reactions to similar drugs in the past? These sorts of questions don't have a textbook right or wrong answer - it's up to physicians to use their judgment.

Mayo Clinic researchers have pioneered an artificial intelligence (AI) tool, called OmicsFootPrint, that helps convert vast amounts of complex biological data into two-dimensional circular images. The details of the tool are published in a study in Nucleic Acids Research.

Omics is the study of genes, proteins and other molecular data to help uncover how the body functions and how diseases develop.

Using a pioneering artificial intelligence platform, Flinders University researchers have assessed whether a cardiac AI tool recently trialled in South Australian hospitals actually has the potential to assist doctors and nurses to rapidly diagnose heart issues in emergency departments.

"AI is becoming more common in healthcare, but it doesn’t always fit in smoothly with the vital work of our doctors and nurses," says Flinders University's Dr Maria Alejandra Pinero de Plaza, who led the research.

Tuberculosis is a serious global health threat that infected more than 10 million people in 2022. Spread through the air and into the lungs, the pathogen that causes "TB" can lead to chronic cough, chest pains, fatigue, fever and weight loss. While infections are more extensive in other parts of the world, a serious tuberculosis outbreak currently unfolding in Kansas has led to two deaths and has become one of the largest on record in the United States. While tuberculosis is typically treated with antibiotics, the rise of drug-resistant strains has led to an urgent need for new drug candidates.

An international survey study involving more than 23,000 higher education students reveals trends in how they use and experience ChatGPT, highlighting both positive perceptions and awareness of the AI chatbot’s limitations. Dejan Ravšelj of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One.

Prior research suggests that ChatGPT can enhance learning, despite concerns about its role in academic integrity, potential impacts on critical thinking, and occasionally inaccurate responses.

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Google's Gemini and Microsoft’s Copilot are transforming industries at a rapid pace. However, as these large language models become less expensive and more widely used for critical decision-making, their built-in biases can distort outcomes and erode public trust.

Naveen Kumar, an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma's Price College of Business, has co-authored a study emphasizing the urgent need to address bias by developing and deploying ethical, explainable AI.

The new findings are published in The Lancet Digital Health. The initial results of the Mammography Screening with Artificial Intelligence (MASAI) study* - a randomised trial to evaluate whether AI can improve mammography screening - were published in August 2023. The study started in spring 2021, and the final report will be written next year. A second report has now been published, and Kristina Lång, who is responsible for the study, is pleased to be able to show strong figures.