Philosophy of medicine meets AI hallucination and AI drift: moving toward a more gentle medicine

The contemporary world is profoundly shaped by technological progress. Among the advancements of our era is the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI). AI has permeated every facet of human knowledge, including medicine. One domain of AI development is the application of large langua...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hamidreza Namazi, Mohammad Mahdi Radfar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Tehran University of Medical Sciences 2025-05-01
Series:Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:https://jmehm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jmehm/article/view/1458
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850224372870021120
author Hamidreza Namazi
Mohammad Mahdi Radfar
author_facet Hamidreza Namazi
Mohammad Mahdi Radfar
author_sort Hamidreza Namazi
collection DOAJ
description The contemporary world is profoundly shaped by technological progress. Among the advancements of our era is the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI). AI has permeated every facet of human knowledge, including medicine. One domain of AI development is the application of large language models (LLMs) in health-care settings. While these applications hold immense promise, they are not without challenges. Two notable phenomena, AI hallucination and AI drift, pose setbacks. AI hallucination refers to the generation of erroneous information by AI systems, while AI drift is the production of multiple responses to a single query. The emergence of these challenges underscores the crucial role of the philosophy of medicine. By reminding practitioners of the inherent uncertainty that underpins medical interventions, the philosophy of medicine fosters a more receptive stance toward these technological advancements. Furthermore, by acknowledging the inherent fallibility of these technologies, the philosophy of medicine reinforces the importance of gentle medicine and humility in clinical practice. Physicians must not shy away from embracing AI tools due to their imperfections. Acknowledgment of uncertainty fosters a more accepting attitude toward AI tools among physicians, and by constantly highlighting the imperfections, the philosophy of medicine cultivates a deeper sense of humility among practitioners. It is imperative that experts in the philosophy of medicine engage in thoughtful deliberation to ensure that these powerful technologies are harnessed responsibly and ethically, preventing the reins of medical decision-making from falling into the hands of those without the requisite expertise and ethical grounding.
format Article
id doaj-art-d925cc254ef04451a82d5b6a16867eb6
institution OA Journals
issn 2008-0387
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher Tehran University of Medical Sciences
record_format Article
series Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine
spelling doaj-art-d925cc254ef04451a82d5b6a16867eb62025-08-20T02:05:38ZengTehran University of Medical SciencesJournal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine2008-03872025-05-011810.18502/jmehm.v18i2.18812Philosophy of medicine meets AI hallucination and AI drift: moving toward a more gentle medicineHamidreza Namazi0Mohammad Mahdi Radfar1Assistant Professor, Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.Researcher, Medical doctor, Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. The contemporary world is profoundly shaped by technological progress. Among the advancements of our era is the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI). AI has permeated every facet of human knowledge, including medicine. One domain of AI development is the application of large language models (LLMs) in health-care settings. While these applications hold immense promise, they are not without challenges. Two notable phenomena, AI hallucination and AI drift, pose setbacks. AI hallucination refers to the generation of erroneous information by AI systems, while AI drift is the production of multiple responses to a single query. The emergence of these challenges underscores the crucial role of the philosophy of medicine. By reminding practitioners of the inherent uncertainty that underpins medical interventions, the philosophy of medicine fosters a more receptive stance toward these technological advancements. Furthermore, by acknowledging the inherent fallibility of these technologies, the philosophy of medicine reinforces the importance of gentle medicine and humility in clinical practice. Physicians must not shy away from embracing AI tools due to their imperfections. Acknowledgment of uncertainty fosters a more accepting attitude toward AI tools among physicians, and by constantly highlighting the imperfections, the philosophy of medicine cultivates a deeper sense of humility among practitioners. It is imperative that experts in the philosophy of medicine engage in thoughtful deliberation to ensure that these powerful technologies are harnessed responsibly and ethically, preventing the reins of medical decision-making from falling into the hands of those without the requisite expertise and ethical grounding. https://jmehm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jmehm/article/view/1458AI hallucination; AI drift; Data schizophrenia; Medical philosophy; Large language models; Gentle medicine.
spellingShingle Hamidreza Namazi
Mohammad Mahdi Radfar
Philosophy of medicine meets AI hallucination and AI drift: moving toward a more gentle medicine
Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine
AI hallucination; AI drift; Data schizophrenia; Medical philosophy; Large language models; Gentle medicine.
title Philosophy of medicine meets AI hallucination and AI drift: moving toward a more gentle medicine
title_full Philosophy of medicine meets AI hallucination and AI drift: moving toward a more gentle medicine
title_fullStr Philosophy of medicine meets AI hallucination and AI drift: moving toward a more gentle medicine
title_full_unstemmed Philosophy of medicine meets AI hallucination and AI drift: moving toward a more gentle medicine
title_short Philosophy of medicine meets AI hallucination and AI drift: moving toward a more gentle medicine
title_sort philosophy of medicine meets ai hallucination and ai drift moving toward a more gentle medicine
topic AI hallucination; AI drift; Data schizophrenia; Medical philosophy; Large language models; Gentle medicine.
url https://jmehm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jmehm/article/view/1458
work_keys_str_mv AT hamidrezanamazi philosophyofmedicinemeetsaihallucinationandaidriftmovingtowardamoregentlemedicine
AT mohammadmahdiradfar philosophyofmedicinemeetsaihallucinationandaidriftmovingtowardamoregentlemedicine