Doctors’ perceptions of using their digital twins in patient care

Recent Artificial Intelligence (AI) advancements have facilitated tools capable of generating digital twins of real human faces and voices for interactive communication. In this research, we explore utilizing Digital Twins of Doctors (DTDs) in healthcare because using a doctor’s identity can provide benefits like enhancing the credibility of the health information delivered using computers. DTDs are computer-controlled AI-generated digital replicas of doctors that closely resemble their characteristics. However, there exist limitations, including the social implications of using a doctor’s identity, potential negative impacts on doctor–patient communication, and liability concerns. To ensure a comprehensive understanding of DTD usage in healthcare before widespread adoption, systematic research is essential. As a step towards this direction, in this qualitative research, we report findings from 13 semi-structured interviews with doctors. Our findings indicate that doctors believe DTDs offer benefits by saving doctors’ time through the efficient delivery of repetitive information and personalizing patient care. Moreover, while using a doctor’s identity can enhance credibility, it also raises concerns about using a doctor’s identity to spread potential misinformation. These findings contribute by informing future researchers about doctors’ perspectives on utilizing DTDs in healthcare, guiding the development of effective implementation strategies for responsible DTD integration into healthcare.