A descriptive study based on the comparison of ChatGPT and evidence-based neurosurgeons

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence product developed by OpenAI. This study aims to investigate whether ChatGPT can respond in accordance with evidence-based medicine in neurosurgery. We generated 50 neurosurgical questions covering neurosurgical diseases. Each question was posed three times to GPT-3.5 and GPT-4.0. We also recruited three neurosurgeons with high, middle, and low seniority to respond to questions. The results were analyzed regarding ChatGPT’s overall performance score, mean scores by the items’ specialty classification, and question type. In conclusion, GPT-3.5’s ability to respond in accordance with evidence-based medicine was comparable to that of neurosurgeons with low seniority, and GPT-4.0’s ability was comparable to that of neurosurgeons with high seniority. Although ChatGPT is yet to be comparable to a neurosurgeon with high seniority, future upgrades could enhance its performance and abilities.