Evaluating an AI Chatbot "Prostate Cancer Info" for Providing Quality Prostate Cancer Screening Information: Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Background: Generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots may be useful tools for supporting shared prostate cancer (PrCA) screening decisions, but the information produced by these tools sometimes lack quality or credibility. "Prostate Cancer Info" is a custom GPT chatbot developed to provide plain-language PrCA information only from websites of key authorities on cancer and peer-reviewed literature.

Objective: The objective of this paper was to evaluate the accuracy, completeness, and readability of Prostate Cancer Info's responses to frequently asked PrCA screening questions.

Methods: A total of 23 frequently asked PrCA questions were individually input into Prostate Cancer Info. Responses were recorded in Microsoft Word and reviewed by 2 raters for their accuracy and completeness. Readability of content was determined by pasting responses into a web-based Flesch Kincaid Reading Ease Scores calculator.

Results: Responses to all questions were accurate and culturally appropriate. In total, 17 of the 23 questions (74%) had complete responses. The average readability of responses was 64.5 (SD 8.7; written at an 8th-grade level).

Conclusions: Generative AI chatbots, such as Prostate Cancer Info, are great starting places for learning about PrCA screening and preparing men to engage in shared decision-making but should not be used as independent sources of PrCA information because key information may be omitted. Men are encouraged to use these tools to complement information received from a health care provider.