How Can ChatGPT Help Us?

I am not sure how many people have heard of ChatGPT, but it's revolutionary technology that has taken the world of artificial intelligence (AI) by storm. Can ChatGPT help people with heart failure?

Guardian defines ChatGPT as "dialogue-based AI chatbot capable of understanding natural human language and generating impressively detailed human-like written text." Basically, using artificial intelligence and machine learning, Chat GPT can provide information and answer questions in a conversational-like interface. ChatGPT MIMICS what it is like talking to a human. ChatGPT is free, but the free services has limitations on the number of requests per person. There is a ChatGPT Plus that you can pay for. The paid services also allow you to utilize plug in's, meaning that you can increase the program's knowledge and abilities while still using it's language modeling capabilities.^1-2

Personally, I do think this technology raises a few concerns. First, in the longer term it begs the question of whether humans will be replaced. There are other concerns on how updated the information is. Research that I have found says that the knowledge base ends in 2021, and it is feasible that the program can give wrong information that sounds plausible. So I would say, be careful.

However, I can say I have found ways that ChatGPT has helped me as a heart failure patient in low-stakes way! And, for anyone who is not technology savvy, this is a much easier way of using technology to gain useful information then browsing the internet!¹

Let me explain!

ChatGPT helping with a heart failure friendly diet

The biggest thing that ChatGPT has helped me with is my diet. For example, when I google recipes on the internet, so often I have to scroll, scroll, scroll, and search through pages and pages of results. ChatGPT seems to give me information on a wide range of topics in a easily digestible format.

For example, I have asked: "What is a good low sodium ranch seasoning?" "What are the various kinds of vinegars I can use in cooking?" "Find a low sodium potato salad recipe," "Find a good low sodium creamy avocado dressing or low sodium pasta recipe." The answers also seem very thorough. For instance, I have been doing more experimenting cooking with various vinegars, and when I typed in "what are the various vinegars" it gave me a comprehensive list as well as a short description of each vinegar and what it can be used for.

Helping find information and present it in a helpful way

The other positive about ChatGPT is that it can understand longer queries with a level of accuracy that impressed me. So, for example, you can start with a very broad question then ask more detailed questions to get exactly the information that you need. This is unlike Google where the more detailed the question the better the results will be. Like you can input "low sodium pasta recipe," "low sodium tomato pasta recipe," "low sodium baked tomato pasta recipe," etc. Also, it's feeling do not get hurt and you can always go back or ask for more suggestions. If you find that your inputs are not getting the result you want, you can go back to previous questions and try different inputs. You can also ask it to format the results in a certain way, like bullet points, infographic, etc.

Another area I have not tried, but have been told it's good is travel. For instance, if you are going to a city and want slower travel ideas you can ask ChatGPT to give you suggestions.

ChatGPT for medical questions

Lastly, ChatGPT can answer basic medical questions.

I will, however, say this: Please DO NOT rely on the internet for medical questions. ChatGPT is not a doctor, even though it may sound conversational. Similar to information you might find on this website or on the internet overall, a medical professional has more capabilities and knows your specific case. There is NO substitute for that!

However, perhaps you want additional (not substitute) information on simple stuff, this is a terrific one-stop-shop. For instance, if your doctor has ordered an echo and you want additional information on what an echo is, ChatGPT can answer what an echo is at any time of the day!

Have you tried ChatGPT? Have you found it useful in your journey as a heart failure patient?