Generative AI overview

Generative AI refers to artificial intelligence systems capable of producing human-like , including text, images, and even code. In the context of physiotherapy, these systems can assist with various tasks across clinical practice, education, and research.

Generative AI works by processing vast amounts of data to recognise patterns and generate new content based on those patterns. It's important to understand that while these systems can produce impressive results, they don't truly "understand" in the way humans do. They are essentially very sophisticated pattern recognition and text prediction tools.

For physiotherapists, generative AI can serve as a powerful assistant, supporting human capabilities rather than replacing them. It can help with tasks such as summarising research, generating patient education materials, or even assisting with clinical decision-making. However, it's important to remember that the output of these systems should always be critically evaluated by trained professionals and content experts. Content experts are the ones (not necessarily physiotherapists) who have specialised knowledge and extensive experience in a specific domain.

While AI covers a broad range of technologies, this document focuses on generative AI, a technology that produces content like text, images, or code, and is increasingly being considered in physiotherapy contexts.