Conversational AI in health: Design considerations from a Wizard-of-Oz dermatology case study with users, clinicians and a medical LLM

Brenna Li, Amy Wang, Patricia Strachan, Julie Anne Séguin, Sami Lachgar, Karyn Schroeder, Mathias Fleck, Renee Wong, Alan Karthikesalingam, Vivek Natarajan, Yossi Matias, Greg S. Corrado, Dale R. Webster, Yun Liu, Naama Hammel, Rory Sayres, Christopher Semturs, Mike Schaekermann

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Although skin concerns are common, access to specialist care is limited. Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted tools to support medical decisions may provide patients with feedback on their concerns while also helping ensure the most urgent cases are routed to dermatologists. Although AI-based conversational agents have been explored recently, how they are perceived by patients and clinicians is not well understood. We conducted a Wizard-of-Oz study involving 18 participants with real skin concerns. Participants were randomly assigned to interact with either a clinician agent (portrayed by a dermatologist) or an LLM agent (supervised by a dermatologist) via synchronous multimodal chat. In both conditions, participants found the conversation to be helpful in understanding their medical situation and alleviate their concerns. Through qualitative coding of the conversation transcripts, we provide insight on the importance of empathy and effective information-seeking. We conclude with design considerations for future AI-based conversational agents in healthcare settings.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCHI 2024 - Extended Abstracts of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Sytems
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
ISBN (Electronic)9798400703317
DOIs
StatePublished - 11 May 2024
Externally publishedYes
Event2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Sytems, CHI EA 2024 - Hybrid, Honolulu, United States
Duration: 11 May 202416 May 2024

Publication series

NameConference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings

Conference

Conference2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Sytems, CHI EA 2024
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityHybrid, Honolulu
Period11/05/2416/05/24

Keywords

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Chatbot
  • Dermatology
  • Large Language Models
  • Medical
  • Wizard-of-Oz

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design
  • Software

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