Era of Generalist Conversational Artificial Intelligence to Support Public Health Communications
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into health communication systems has introduced a transformative approach to public health management, particularly during public health emergencies, capable of reaching billions through familiar digital channels. This paper explores the ut...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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JMIR Publications
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| Online Access: | https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e69007 |
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| _version_ | 1832593421699645440 |
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| author | Emre Sezgin Ahmet Baki Kocaballi |
| author_facet | Emre Sezgin Ahmet Baki Kocaballi |
| author_sort | Emre Sezgin |
| collection | DOAJ |
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The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into health communication systems has introduced a transformative approach to public health management, particularly during public health emergencies, capable of reaching billions through familiar digital channels. This paper explores the utility and implications of generalist conversational artificial intelligence (CAI) advanced AI systems trained on extensive datasets to handle a wide range of conversational tasks across various domains with human-like responsiveness. The specific focus is on the application of generalist CAI within messaging services, emphasizing its potential to enhance public health communication. We highlight the evolution and current applications of AI-driven messaging services, including their ability to provide personalized, scalable, and accessible health interventions. Specifically, we discuss the integration of large language models and generative AI in mainstream messaging platforms, which potentially outperform traditional information retrieval systems in public health contexts. We report a critical examination of the advantages of generalist CAI in delivering health information, with a case of its operationalization during the COVID-19 pandemic and propose the strategic deployment of these technologies in collaboration with public health agencies. In addition, we address significant challenges and ethical considerations, such as AI biases, misinformation, privacy concerns, and the required regulatory oversight. We envision a future with leverages generalist CAI in messaging apps, proposing a multiagent approach to enhance the reliability and specificity of health communications. We hope this commentary initiates the necessary conversations and research toward building evaluation approaches, adaptive strategies, and robust legal and technical frameworks to fully realize the benefits of AI-enhanced communications in public health, aiming to ensure equitable and effective health outcomes across diverse populations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-88fba07a33ba49269297e5f82d8d376d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1438-8871 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-88fba07a33ba49269297e5f82d8d376d2025-01-20T16:45:30ZengJMIR PublicationsJournal of Medical Internet Research1438-88712025-01-0127e6900710.2196/69007Era of Generalist Conversational Artificial Intelligence to Support Public Health CommunicationsEmre Sezginhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-8798-9605Ahmet Baki Kocaballihttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-8328-5317 The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into health communication systems has introduced a transformative approach to public health management, particularly during public health emergencies, capable of reaching billions through familiar digital channels. This paper explores the utility and implications of generalist conversational artificial intelligence (CAI) advanced AI systems trained on extensive datasets to handle a wide range of conversational tasks across various domains with human-like responsiveness. The specific focus is on the application of generalist CAI within messaging services, emphasizing its potential to enhance public health communication. We highlight the evolution and current applications of AI-driven messaging services, including their ability to provide personalized, scalable, and accessible health interventions. Specifically, we discuss the integration of large language models and generative AI in mainstream messaging platforms, which potentially outperform traditional information retrieval systems in public health contexts. We report a critical examination of the advantages of generalist CAI in delivering health information, with a case of its operationalization during the COVID-19 pandemic and propose the strategic deployment of these technologies in collaboration with public health agencies. In addition, we address significant challenges and ethical considerations, such as AI biases, misinformation, privacy concerns, and the required regulatory oversight. We envision a future with leverages generalist CAI in messaging apps, proposing a multiagent approach to enhance the reliability and specificity of health communications. We hope this commentary initiates the necessary conversations and research toward building evaluation approaches, adaptive strategies, and robust legal and technical frameworks to fully realize the benefits of AI-enhanced communications in public health, aiming to ensure equitable and effective health outcomes across diverse populations.https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e69007 |
| spellingShingle | Emre Sezgin Ahmet Baki Kocaballi Era of Generalist Conversational Artificial Intelligence to Support Public Health Communications Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| title | Era of Generalist Conversational Artificial Intelligence to Support Public Health Communications |
| title_full | Era of Generalist Conversational Artificial Intelligence to Support Public Health Communications |
| title_fullStr | Era of Generalist Conversational Artificial Intelligence to Support Public Health Communications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Era of Generalist Conversational Artificial Intelligence to Support Public Health Communications |
| title_short | Era of Generalist Conversational Artificial Intelligence to Support Public Health Communications |
| title_sort | era of generalist conversational artificial intelligence to support public health communications |
| url | https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e69007 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT emresezgin eraofgeneralistconversationalartificialintelligencetosupportpublichealthcommunications AT ahmetbakikocaballi eraofgeneralistconversationalartificialintelligencetosupportpublichealthcommunications |