AI Chatbots in Clinical Laboratory Medicine: Foundations and Trends

Published: 04 Sept 2023, Last Modified: 16 Jan 2026Clinical Chemistry, Volume 69, Issue 11, November 2023, Pages 1238–1246,EveryoneCC0 1.0
Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) conversational agents, or chatbots, are computer programs designed to simulate human conversations using natural language processing. They offer diverse functions and applications across an expanding range of healthcare domains. However, their roles in laboratory medicine remain unclear, as their accuracy, repeatability, and ability to interpret complex laboratory data have yet to be rigorously evaluated. Content This review provides an overview of the history of chatbots, two major chatbot development approaches, and their respective advantages and limitations. We discuss the capabilities and potential applications of chatbots in healthcare, focusing on the laboratory medicine field. Recent evaluations of chatbot performance are presented, with a special emphasis on large language models such as the Chat Generative Pre-trained
Loading