Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a broad term for digital technology that can perform tasks that require "intelligence", such as reasoning, making decisions, learning from mistakes, communicating, and problem solving.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) on generative Artificial Intelligence ​

A series of FAQ's of different aspects of using AI which may help you.  Please click on the link above.

Examples of AI Tools​

  • Trip - has an AI search tool that uses a LLM to produce answers to clinical questions from the Trip Medical Database. Responses will include citations that link through to articles and guidance. You can also search other clinical questions that have been previously asked. Log in using your NHS Athens account to access Trip Pro
  • ChatGPT is a large language model (LLM) chatbot developed by OpenAI. GPT = Generative Pre-Trained Transformer. It is trained on a massive dataset of text and code and can generate human-like text in response to a wide range of prompts and questions. It is not connected to the internet and can make stuff up to fill gaps in its ‘knowledge’.
  • MS Copilot (previously Bing AI) also uses GPT-4 (a LLM) to answer questions in a conversational way. It will reference its sources which include: The internet, it’s own knowledge base and conversation history. Copilot can generate images using a text-to-image generator - however some, (such as anatomical), may not necessarily be accurate.
  • Gemini (Previously Google Bard) is a more powerful and versatile LLM than GPT. It will answer questions in a similar way but it is trained on a dataset that includes both text and code (GPT is trained on text only). It also has access to real-time internet while GPT does not.
  • Elicit is a little different and uses machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) to help you find relevant research papers. It will then summarise the paper and extract key information such as formulas or statistical tests. 
  • Consensus also uses machine learning to identify research papers that will answer a specific research question. Based on the result of the papers it will provide a ‘consensus’ answer to your research question. It only searches for published research via Semantic Scholar so it is more reliable that the GPT tools. 
  • Humata uses NLP to analyse text in a document/research paper. You can upload a PDF and ask it questions such as ‘what are the results of this trial’ or was NNT used? It will also generate new writing (rewords) based on existing documents. 

AI in healthcare

Thinking Critically about AI in Healthcare Jessica Morley, May 2023
Annotated bibliography on key issues around AI in healthcare.
Principles for artificial intelligence (AI) and its application in healthcare BMA, October 2024 (22 page report)
​AI knowledge repository NHS England 2025
The NHS AI Lab : NHS England
Artificial intelligence in healthcare: Applications, risks, and ethical and societal impacts : European Parliament (June 2022)
NHS Strategy Patient Safety and Information

Definitions

  • An Algorithm is a set of instructions or rules that a computer (including smartphones) uses to complete a task.
  • Generative AI is a type of AI that generates text, images, audio, video, or other media based on user prompts using machine learning. Chatbots are a common example of generative AI.
  • Hallucinations refer to responses from large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT that seem plausible but are inaccurate. An example would be a citation for a book that doesn't exist.
  • Large Language Models (LLMs) are a foundation model, which is a type of machine learning model trained on vast amounts of data. LLMs are trained on massive amounts of text to carry out language-related tasks. Google Translate and ChatGPT are both examples of LLMs.
  • Machine Learning is a type of AI that uses algorithms to 'learn' without all of it's instructions being explicitly programmed. Examples include LLMs (see above), virtual assistants like Alexa, and facial recognition.

University AI Guides

Sheffield Hallam University - ​Making the most of Generative AI
Leeds University - Generative AI guidance for taught students
Sheffield University - Generative AI - Guidance and resources to help you to get the most out of Generative AI within and alongside your studies.

Copyright

Know the copyright implications. Think about who owns the information you are using or data mining.  Copyrighted material should not be uploaded to AI unless permission has been given. Consider the principles of copyright and generative AI and the NHS CLA Licence.   Look at the publisher’s website for terms and conditions e.g. creative licence permissions if the article is open source. Also check who owns the copyright of any AI-generated content under the terms and conditions, before re-use.