JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) has become increasingly prevalent throughout healthcare, with GAI tools being applied to clinical decision support, medical documentation, patient-provider communication, and more. Youth and adolescents are more likely to adopt GAI technologies.

Objective:

In this nationwide qualitative survey, we characterize the attitudes of youths aged 14-24 years towards GAI and its related healthcare applications.

Methods:

Study participants were respondents of MyVoice, a nationwide text message survey that collects perspectives from youths aged 14-24 years. Five open-ended questions related to GAI were texted to participants. Responses were reviewed, coded, and summarized using descriptive statistics.

Results:

Of 758 participants, 624 (82.3%) responded to at least one question. 592 respondents (95.6%) endorsed prior knowledge of GAI, with 62 participants (10.0%) sharing a positive opinion of GAI and 46 participants (7.4%) expressing disapproval. Of the 624 total respondents, 66 respondents (10.6%) mentioned health applications, with 27 (40.9%) citing specific health-related applications and 42 (63.6%) expressing concerns.

Conclusions:

Respondents who discussed GAI in the context of healthcare primarily focused on concerns about medical decision making and medical errors, highlighting the importance of transparency and disclosure when using GAI tools to treat adolescents and young adults. Self-diagnosis is not currently a primary focus of youth using GAI tools. Rather, youth more frequently voice concern with safeguarding medical processes against error and ensuring human input is retained in medical decision-making.