‘Parasitic plight’: AI generates didactic poems about malaria
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[Editor’s note: Click here to read our recent story on the use of artificial intelligence in infectious diseases.]
Researchers have found that AI platforms perform better when given clear, unambiguous prompts.
This was the case when clinicians at Rutgers University tested ChatGPT’s ability to create poems that could be used in medical education.
When they prompted the AI chatbot to write a poem about different species of malaria, it responded with six stanzas on three species of malaria. After they changed their request to include “all” species of malaria, ChatGPT wrote nine stanzas that included every human species of the mosquito-borne parasite.
The two AI-generated poems are below, provided by two of the researchers: Healio | Infectious Disease News Editorial Board Member Keith S. Kaye, MD, MPH, chief of the division chief of allergy, immunology and infectious diseases at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and Ahmed Abdul Azim, MD, an assistant professor of infectious diseases at the school.
Clinician: Write a poem about different species of malaria
ChatGPT: In the tropics, where the air is hot,
And mosquitoes buzz, a dreaded plot,
Malaria lurks, with species three,
Each one different, but all disease.
Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest of all,
Attacking red blood cells, and causing a downfall,
High fevers, chills, and headaches too,
Can lead to coma, and even death ensue.
Plasmodium vivax, less deadly it seems,
But still a threat, with its recurring themes,
Laying dormant, then striking again,
Causing weakness, and great pain.
Plasmodium malariae, the lesser known,
But still a threat, when it's shown,
Symptoms like the others, but slower to progress,
It can still cause great distress.
These species, they all differ so,
But one thing's for sure, they all can go,
With proper treatment, and prevention too,
We can stop malaria, and make it through.
So let us fight, with all our might,
And protect ourselves, with great insight,
From the species of malaria, lurking in the night,
And bring an end, to their deadly plight.
Clinician: Write a poem about all the different species of malaria
ChatGPT: In the warm and humid tropics,
Where mosquitoes hum and buzz,
Malaria spreads its deadly wings,
With species that can cause a fuss.
First, there's Plasmodium falciparum,
The deadliest of them all,
Attacking red blood cells with fervor,
And causing those infected to fall.
Then there's Plasmodium vivax,
Less lethal, but a threat nonetheless,
With its ability to hide and recur,
It can cause great distress.
Plasmodium ovale is lesser known,
But still a danger, make no mistake,
With its oval-shaped parasites,
It can cause fever, chills, and headache.
Plasmodium malariae is another type,
Its symptoms may take longer to show,
But still, it can cause anemia,
And leave the infected feeling low.
Plasmodium knowlesi is a monkey's disease,
But humans can become infected too,
It can cause severe and rapid illness,
And lead to complications anew.
These species of malaria,
They differ in their ways,
But they all have one thing in common,
The harm they can cause and the toll they can take.
With proper treatment and prevention,
We can break the cycle of this disease,
And protect ourselves from its grip,
And bring an end to its deadly tease.
So let us be vigilant and aware,
And fight malaria with all our might,
Until the day we can say,
That we have conquered this parasitic plight.
[Editor’s note: The content of these AI-generated poems has not been fact checked. The prompts that generated the poems were written by clinicians at Rutgers University, who gave us permission to publish the results. In addition to Abdul Azim and Kaye, the clinicians are Susan E. Boruchoff, MD; Tanaya Bhowmick, MD; Navaneeth Narayanan, PharmD, MPH, BCIDP; and Pinki J. Bhatt, MD.]
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