A study has found that artificial intelligence (AI) is not yet ready to replace human guidance in the performance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

The study, conducted by researchers at Mass General Brigham, New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Boston Children’s Hospital, looked at the responses of four voice assistants — Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant’s Nest Mini, and Microsoft’s Cortana — to eight verbal questions about CPR. The questions were asked by actors pretending to be bystanders who had found an unconscious person.

Findings

The study found that the voice assistants provided inconsistent and inaccurate information about CPR. For example, one voice assistant suggested calling 911, while another suggested searching the internet for information. Only one voice assistant provided clear and accurate instructions on how to perform CPR.

The study found that AI guidance was less effective than human guidance in terms of providing relevant, consistent and timely information and instructions.

The challenges of AI-guided CPR

There are a number of challenges to developing AI systems that can effectively guide CPR. One challenge is that CPR is a complex procedure with many steps. Another challenge is that the effectiveness of CPR can vary depending on the circumstances, such as the age and health of the victim.

AI systems also need to be able to understand the context of a situation and adapt their instructions accordingly. For example, an AI system might need to provide different instructions for CPR on a child than on an adult.

The future of AI-guided CPR

Despite the challenges, there is potential for AI to play a role in guiding CPR. AI systems could be used to provide real-time feedback to bystanders who are performing CPR. They could also be used to train people in CPR.

However, more research and development is needed before AI can be used to replace human guidance in CPR. In the meantime, it is important for people to learn CPR from a qualified instructor.