In trials conducted at Harvard, AI outperformed doctors in making emergency diagnoses.

      AI outperformed physicians in emergency triage, but don’t dismiss your doctor just yet

      AI has various complex applications, but emergency medicine might be one area where it can significantly contribute. A Harvard study that evaluated the performance of AI against physicians using data from emergency room cases found that OpenAI's o1 reasoning model surpassed human doctors in emergency triage diagnoses, particularly in scenarios where quick decisions were required with minimal information.

      What did the study find?

      One segment of the Harvard research involved 76 patients who came to an emergency room in Boston. Both the AI model and two human physicians received the same electronic health records, which included essential information such as vital signs, demographic details, and a brief note from a nurse explaining the reason for the patient's visit.

      The AI successfully identified the correct or nearly correct diagnosis in 67% of the cases. In comparison, the human doctors achieved accuracy rates between 50% and 55%. During a second trial that provided more detailed information, the AI’s accuracy increased to 82%, while the physicians scored between 70% and 79%. However, this difference was not statistically meaningful.

      Why physicians aren’t being replaced just yet

      The Ohio State University

      The context of this study focuses on text-based medical reasoning and does not encompass the full scope of emergency healthcare. Researchers pointed out that the AI did not evaluate a patient’s level of distress, appearance, tone, body language, or other real-world cues that physicians consider in the emergency room.

      Dr. Adam Rodman, a co-author and physician at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, noted that AI could become part of a “triadic care model” consisting of the doctor, patient, and AI system.

      While the results are noteworthy, the technology isn’t ready to be fully integrated into emergency rooms just yet. Experts expressed concerns regarding accountability, patient safety, AI errors, and the potential for doctors to overly rely on AI recommendations. At present, it may only serve as a valuable second opinion when physicians need quick advice.

      Vikhyaat Vivek is a tech journalist and reviewer with seven years of experience focusing on consumer hardware...

      Microsoft developed an AI agent for lawyers in Word. Let’s hope it performs well.

      Microsoft’s Legal Agent is ready to review contracts and address trust issues among users.

      Microsoft Word is introducing an AI legal agent, which appears to be beneficial until we recall previous issues with such technology. The new Legal Agent can review contracts, propose edits, compare versions, and identify risky clauses within Word. On paper, these capabilities seem quite advantageous, but instances of generative AI producing inaccuracies and fabricating entire cases, citations, and quotes have previously led individuals into real legal difficulties.

      What features does Microsoft’s Legal Agent offer?

      OpenAI recently began testing ads within ChatGPT, prompting AI companies to consider if advertising in an AI chatbot can be implemented without frustrating users. Similarly, Google has indicated that Gemini might not escape this advertising model indefinitely. During Alphabet’s Q1 2026 earnings call, Google’s Chief Business Officer, Philipp Schindler, was asked about ads in the Gemini app. He provided a measured response, stating that Google is primarily focused on the free tier, subscriptions, and AI initiatives while first working on monetizing AI Mode in Search.

      Virtual reality headsets can improve your dancing skills, provided you overlook gaming and streaming.

      Dancers can now engage with their past routines using this VR tool.

      For years, virtual reality headsets have been associated with video gaming, virtual cinema, and fitness. However, researchers at Cornell are demonstrating that these tools can also serve as valuable creative resources. A doctoral student at Cornell has developed an extended reality tool called "DanXeReflect," allowing dancers to utilize VR headsets to analyze and enhance their movements in an immersive virtual studio.

      How DanXeReflect transforms dance videos into an effective rehearsal tool.