Forget Apple Watch, ChatGPT SAVES life of dog; vet shocked

Apple Watch has been long credited for detecting undiagnosed diseases, but it turns out that ChatGPT can go one step ahead and diagnose illnesses that have been overlooked even by professionals.

Know how ChatGPT saved the life of a dog after detecting a life threatening illness. (REUTERS)

When it comes to consumer technology saving people's lives, the Apple Watch probably is one of the most reliable gadgets. Over the years, it has helped people in detecting early signs of cardiovascular issues, especially around arrhythmia. But with the recent growth of artificial intelligence and the advent of OpenAI's ChatGPT, the trend is starting to change. In a recent incident, the AI chatbot, now powered with the latest GPT-4, was able to diagnose a disease which even a veterinarian was not able to detect, and thereby, it saved the life of a dog.

ChatGPT saves the life of a dog

A Twitter user named Cooper has detailed his experience with ChatGPT and how it was able to save the life of his dog, Sassy, in a series of tweets. He first tweeted, “#GPT4 saved my dog's life. After my dog got diagnosed with a tick-borne disease, the vet started her on the proper treatment, and despite a serious anemia, her condition seemed to be improving relatively well. After a few days however, things took a turn for the worse”.

Cooper noticed that the gums of the dog turned very pale, which is usually a sign of lack of red blood cells, which gives the gums the healthy pinkish shade. And sure enough, after rushing to the vet and taking a blood test, the results revealed that Sassy had a severe anemia, worse than the day when she was first brought in. The veterinarian also ran other tests to check for co-infections associated with tick-borne diseases but they all came negative.

Cooper decided to seek a second opinion at another clinic. But before the date of appointment, he decided to ask ChatGPT. “I gave it the actual transcribed blood test results from multiple days, and asked for a diagnosis. Despite the "I am not a veterinarian..." disclaimer, it complied.

Its interpretation was spot on, and it suggested there could be other underlying issues contributing to the anemia. So I asked what other underlying issues could fit this scenario and it gave me a list of options”. However, the only one to fit all the conditions was immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA).

When Cooper suggested it to the second vet, they agreed and ran some tests which confirmed the suspicion. It turns out that ChatGPT was indeed right.

Due to the early detection and quick diagnosis, Sassy has made almost a full recovery today. And part of the credit definitely goes to the AI chatbot which assisted Cooper in understanding the ailment. It should be noted that the assistive role of an AI is also being researched actively in the medical field. Maybe one day, it can also be used in health monitoring, just like the Apple Watch.