Xuzhou hospital clarifies doctor used AI assistant for drug research

A doctor at an affiliated hospital of Xuzhou Medical University in Jiangsu province has sparked controversy after using ByteDance’s AI assistant, Doubao, to research medication during a consultation. The incident occurred when a patient's family member observed the physician using a mobile phone to query drug information, leading to concerns regarding medical safety and professional accountability.

The family expressed fear that the doctor might rely solely on AI suggestions for prescriptions, particularly given the patient's history of allergies and high uric acid. However, the hospital clarified that the physician used the AI tool only to check if a new medication was suitable for the patient. Upon finding the drug inappropriate, the doctor did not issue a prescription.

While some netizens criticized the use of general-purpose AI for medical queries due to potential inaccuracies, others defended the practice, noting that professionals use such tools as supplementary data aids and remain legally responsible for their clinical decisions. Chinese regulations mandate that AI may only serve as a clinical aid and prohibit the automatic generation of prescriptions by AI tools.