THE HUMAN TOUCH

A CHATBOT — a computer program that ‘converses’ with a human either verbally or by text — has been launched with the claim that it can diagnose with the same accuracy as a GP.

While the chatbot achieved a high score in the exam for membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners, that is not the same as being faced with a distressed and, often, confused patient.

I agree it could be a valuable tool — but to see artificial intelligence as a replacement for the GP consultation is as naïve as to consider photography a replacement for fine art.