BBN developing technology to assess the reliability and
accuracy of healthcare responses
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 10,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- RTX BBN Technologies received an
award to support the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health's
(ARPA-H) Chatbot Accuracy and Reliability Evaluation (CARE)
Exploration Topic under an Other Transaction Agreement. CARE aims
to develop advanced tools and technologies for evaluating medical
chatbots in patient-facing applications, addressing the critical
need for reliable health information in situations where accuracy
may influence patient outcomes.
Despite the potential of medical chatbots, significant
limitations threaten their effectiveness. Many AI systems generate
factually inaccurate or misleading responses that may cause
confusion and pose potential risk to patients. As healthcare
evolves, a scalable system is needed to ensure consistent medical
chatbot performance in any setting. This need is intensified by
ongoing lack of standardization, which continues to undermine
confidence.
"Evaluating medical chatbots requires more than simply checking
for correct answers; it demands a deep understanding of how these
systems address the complex needs of diverse users," said Dr.
Damianos Karakos, BBN principal
investigator on the effort.
To address this problem, BBN will use its expertise in machine
learning, language-based information processing and large language
models to develop the Monitoring, Evaluation and Diagnosing of
Intelligent Chatbots (MEDIC) system. This comprehensive solution
will function as a technological framework for evaluating medical
chatbots, featuring core capabilities such as:
- Integration of insights from caregivers, patients and medical
professionals to optimize chatbot interactions and effectively
address their concerns and expectations.
- Retrieval of relevant medical texts to validate chatbot
responses against evidence-based data sources.
- Advanced prompt engineering to create realistic interactions
from various demographic perspectives.
- Detection of missing or inaccurate information in chatbot
outputs using multiple evaluative methods, which use advanced
information extraction and machine learning techniques.
"Our goal is to develop an adaptable framework that rigorously
assesses chatbot performance in real-world scenarios, focusing on
key aspects like bias, fairness and the risk of generating
misleading information," said Karakos. "For example, in prenatal
care, it's crucial that expectant mothers receive accurate dietary
guidance to support fetal health. MEDIC will assess the dietary
advice given by medical chatbots and escalate any ambiguous
responses to healthcare professionals for further review. This
initiative aims to improve AI-integrated care in a variety of
healthcare settings."
The BBN-led team includes Johns Hopkins
University (Prof. Mark
Dredze), Johns Hopkins University
School of Medicine and Howard
University Hospital. Work on this effort is being performed
in Cambridge, Massachusetts;
Washington, D.C.; and Baltimore, Maryland.
This research was, in part, funded by the Advanced Research
Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The views and conclusions
contained in this document are those of the authors and should not
be interpreted as representing the official policies, either
expressed or implied, of the United States Government.
About RTX BBN Technologies
Founded in 1948, RTX BBN Technologies provides advanced technology
research and development with a focus on national security
priorities. From the ARPANET to the first email, through the first
metro network protected by quantum cryptography, BBN consistently
transitions advanced research to produce innovative solutions for
its customers. BBN takes risks and challenges conventions to create
solutions in analytics and machine intelligence, networks and
sensors, intelligent software and systems, and physical
sciences.
About RTX
With more than 185,000 global employees,
RTX pushes the limits of technology and science to redefine how we
connect and protect our world. Through industry-leading businesses
– Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon – we are
advancing aviation, engineering integrated defense systems for
operational success, and developing next-generation technology
solutions and manufacturing to help global customers address their
most critical challenges. The company, with 2023 sales of
$69 billion, is headquartered in
Arlington, Virginia.
For questions or to schedule an interview, please contact
corporatepr@rtx.com
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