Google’s AMIE study appears in The Lancet, with trial pointing to gains in doctor-patient interactions

Researchers from Google and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center published a study on the diagnostic AI chatbot AMIE in the main journal of The Lancet, marking the first time Google research has appeared there, according to the source material. In the study, 98 patients used AMIE before emergency department visits in a real clinical setting, while physicians monitored the interactions in real time and the conversations continued without interruption. Clinicians said AI-generated summaries helped them prepare for patient visits in 75% of scenarios. In more than half of the cases, AMIE’s output changed the physicians’ diagnostic thinking. The study also found that the chatbot’s differential diagnoses matched physicians’ final diagnoses 90% of the time. The reported findings suggest AI may help improve doctor-patient relationships and ease pressure on medical staff.