WebMD CMO encourages clinicians to guide AI use

John Whyte, MD, chief medical officer at WebMD, raised questions during AONL 2023 about the safety of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in providing care while underscoring that patients are feeling increasingly empowered to use them. Health care has historically been slow to adapt to new technology, Whyte said, but health care leaders should be more involved in helping to iterate these tools from the beginning especially in terms of establishing safeguards and preventing them from perpetuating disparities. Whyte encouraged attendees to consider themselves guides of digital innovation, as opposed to “the cops of AI.” He advised nurse leaders not to let “developers and businesspeople take the lead,” but to work with other leaders and specialty groups to decide how to involve AI in care, he said.  “ChatGPT and things like that are going to continue to explode, and we need to show leadership for the profession, for the community, and for patient care,” he said.