As healthcare contemplates the use of generative artificial intelligence technology, Boston Children’s Hospital is moving from strategy to salary.
The Boston-based hospital is hiring someone to use OpenAI’s generative AI application ChatGPT. Boston Children's posted a job posting in April for an “AI prompt engineer” to work on its innovation and digital health accelerator. The person will design and develop AI prompts using large language models like ChatGPT.
Related: What’s ahead for ChatGPT in healthcare
Dr. John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s, said it didn’t take him long to realize the technology's potential. “Right out of the box, I don't think I’ve seen anything as transformational since the iPhone or Google,” he said.
Brownstein spoke about his hiring needs, putting in patient safety guardrails and more. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What potential do you see with ChatGPT in healthcare?
We've been bringing AI into the hospital for many years. We've identified multitudes of applications in very specific areas, like analyzing radiology images or helping triage patients. I think there's been a recognition that we've resourced our innovation group and digital health teams to really push down this path. We're crossing a variety of use cases, and especially in places where there's potential for physician burnout or repetitive administrative tasks. In my personal and professional life, ChatGPT serves a purpose whether it's writing emails or summarizing large documents. When margins are challenging and we're in a tough economy, being able to upskill the workforce with these tools can be incredibly beneficial.
What made you decide to hire someone who could use ChatGPT?
The skill set of the next decade is going to be someone with the skills of a prompt engineer. Someone who knows how to interface with large language models. Someone who knows how to ask the right questions to get the right detail. Someone who knows the boundaries by which these things work and that they don't work. We are all becoming amateur prompt engineers and we're learning. But someone who's developed a really refined skill set can help drive us much more quickly into the future.