Digitalization and pathology laboratory
Digitalisation is set to play a major role in my field of work. In laboratories, we already have many machines and robots, and I’m certain that digitalisation will continue to grow in laboratories. Over the years, there has been fear -employers are worried that digitalisation will take away our jobs. While there is some truth to this, it’s not as simple as it may seem. Even with the rise of automation and AI, machines still require humans to operate them.
In the field of pathology, which is my area of work, AI is already in use. AI assists in scanning cancer cells and helps doctors make diagnoses. However, even though it provides significant assistance, caution is still necessary. I’m quite sure that there will never be a time when humans won’t double-check those diagnoses. One interesting question I often consider is: which is more accurate, AI or humans? While AI is already highly accurate, it doesn’t yet account for changing conditions or errors in protocols.
For biomedical laboratory scientists, digitalisation means the need for continuous adaptation and development. Additionally, as professionals, we must be extremely careful with patients’ digitalized personal information.
Dataprotection
With digitalisation comes the risk of data breaches. As a professional, I must be very cautious when handling sensitive information. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a strict regulation that mandates the protection of personal data. It requires organizations to be transparent about data processing and ensures that customers can trust the security of their data. As a professional, I am also obligated to adhere to these rules. Regulations like these are necessary to protect people’s privacy.
We must be trustworthy so that customers can trust us. I understand why older people, in particular, may be wary of sharing their personal information due to the rise of scams. The Vastaamo´s data breach is a sad but stark example of what can happen if data protection is not properly maintained.
ChatGPT and pathology laboratory
ChatGPT’s popularity has grown, making it interesting to evaluate its accuracy. I wanted to ask a few questions related to my field to see what kind of responses it would provide. First, I asked: “Is AI used in the pathology laboratory?”. AI provided accurate information about AI in pathology labs. However, one small detail was incorrect – it mentioned that AI would automate and process tasks, which is true, but it also claimed that with AI pathologists don’t have to do tasks like sorting samples or storing data and documents. In reality, pathologists won´t do these now either, we nurses do these tasks.
Curious about this, I asked, “What does a biomedical laboratory scientist do in a pathology laboratory?”. The response was mostly accurate, but again, one small detail was incorrect. AI claimed that laboratory scientists handle blood samples, but we do not process those in pathology labs. I then asked, “Are samples from deceased individuals processed in all pathology laboratories?”. This is a common misconception, as many people think pathology automatically involves samples from deceased individuals. In our lab, we do not handle those. AI correctly answered this question.
I think AI is a useful tool for quickly obtaining information. You don’t have to search through multiple websites to find answers. However, you must also be critical of the information it provides, as some details may be inaccurate. Overall, it offers a great tool for supporting education. Personally, I haven’t used it much yet, though once I was curious about Mount Everest and asked for details. I’ve been hesitant to use it for school projects, not because I think it’s wrong, but because I feel like I might be cheating, even though our school encourages its use. For this course, I’ve asked for help from ChatGPT to correct my English, as it’s not my first language. I always write everything myself first and then ask ChatGPT to check for mistakes. This way, I’m still learning, and if I just post these texts without checking, I wouldn’t improve my English skills.
What I learned
The videos and blog posts have clarified and expanded my knowledge about AI and digitalisation. I believe these subjects will help me grow professionally. I’ve become more curious about AI and plan to use it more in both my professional life and my studies. One good reminder I’ve learned is that information on the internet is like postcards – this is a great metaphor.
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