The PCS ALEX manikin was introduced to the simulation world nearly 10 years ago, bringing the first-of-its-kind conversational AI. ALEX enabled learners to communicate with a patient simulator using their own words and respond with scenario-specific responses. Although impressive then, ALEX was somewhat limited in the types of questions understood and the responses provided. Over the years, improvements were made to ALEX’s conversational AI, which enabled him to understand more, but there were still blind spots in his knowledge base. With the release of the Generative AI upgrade for PCS ALEX, the conversational AI takes the biggest leap forward and touts three impressive improvements to make simulations even more engaging and realistic. This HealthySimulation.com article will explore the top three benefits to PCS ALEX with Generative AI Upgrade.
The above HealthySimulation.com video interview with PCS was conducted was recorded at IMSH 2024 in San Diego.
1. ALEX Becomes a Much Better Communicator
When ALEX was first released, learners were able to ask simple questions about his condition and associated symptoms, such as “Where does it hurt?” “What does the pain feel like?” and “What’s wrong?” Outside of those clinical interview-type questions, ALEX would commonly state, “I’m sorry. Could you rephrase your question?” when the AI was unable to understand the question.
With the Generative AI upgrade, ALEX can now understand all types of complex questions a learner might ask, including stacked questions. So, if a learner, in an attempt to build rapport, asks the patient if their 9-year-old daughter plays any sports in school, ALEX will be able to answer. Or if a learner asks if ALEX is experiencing dizziness or blurred vision, he will be able to answer both questions in his follow-up response.
Of course, communication is not limited to just interview-style questions. With this AI upgrade to ALEX, he is now suited to have a general dialog as well, such as responding to empathetic statements from the learner, patient counseling, or being educated about the procedure he might be about to undergo. Even better, he can ask questions to the learner if he needs more clarification on the implications of what was discussed.
And lastly, ALEX no longer has the memory of a goldfish with the latest Generative AI upgrade. ALEX will remember what was discussed early in the conversation, so if you introduce yourself by name at the beginning of the encounter and ask him later what your name is? He will remember!
View the LEARN CE/CME Platform Webinar Easier Than You Think: Bringing Generative AI into Clinical Simulation to learn more!
2. Lightning-Fast Scenario Creation
ALEX users have always enjoyed the capability of building custom-tailored scenarios designed to align with their curriculum. That work, though, was often a labor of love as updating all the relevant responses required a distinct amount of effort.
“I could never think of or anticipate every path that a student might go down, and then program for it. There were always a few uncommon lines of questions that would stump ALEX, causing the student to break that suspension of disbelief. ” – Existing ALEX User.
With the Generative AI upgrade for PCS ALEX, the scenario creation process is streamlined, requiring only a fraction of the time to get a scenario up and running. By utilizing the Patient Concept tool, scenario authors simply describe the patient they would like to create across 14 distinct categories. These range from chief complaints and associated symptoms, to speaking style and disposition. Once this information has been provided, the PCS AI engine does the rest and automatically builds out the responses based on the information provided.
If you are interested in building more complex scenarios, users can leverage multiple states with varying patient concepts and vitals, providing a more challenging scenario for advanced learners. These same scenarios that you create are also cross-modality and can run across screen-based, VR, and voice-based simulations with PCS Spark and PCS SimVox.
3. Ever Improving: Getting Better Each Day
Since ALEX is a cloud-connected simulator, he always receives the latest software updates and enhancements. This applies to the custom-tailored, domain adapted Large Language Model (LLM) that drives the Generative AI upgrade for PCS ALEX.
As more and more users engage with the ALEX, data is added to train and improve the conversational experience for all users – a rising tide lifts all boats. This provides every ALEX user with a manikin that is constantly improving. How often in the simulation industry does this occur that a simulator purchased 10 years ago is still receiving updates to the latest in AI advancements? With PCS ALEX, your investment stays relevant and up-to-date for years to come.
About the Generative AI Upgrade for PCS ALEX
Want to experience the Generative AI Upgrade for PCS ALEX for yourself? Contact PCSto schedule a personalized demo.
The Generative AI upgrade for PCS ALEX is available as a paid upgrade to all existing and prospective users exclusively through PCS. To learn more about pricing and upgrade your ALEX manikin to the latest Generative AI models, for more information.
More About PCS
For some companies, healthcare simulation is not just a market, but a calling that cannot be silenced. This is true for PCS – a company that started in 2015 and has helped revolutionize patient safety. PCS’s AI-driven patient simulation technology includes virtual patients, portable simulation, and smart manikins. The company developed the first patient simulator with a fully integrated cloud-based AV recording and debriefing system, enabling clinical simulation centers to digitally debrief sessions with ease.
PCS’s story began back in the 1990s when the founders engaged on a journey around patient healthcare simulation and standardized patient methodologies. The team has since worked with some of the most innovative experts in healthcare simulation as they developed disruptive products.
Overall, the PCS.ai platform is the most advanced cloud-based simulation platform. Users can manage all PCS scenarios and medical simulations through an intuitive, easy-to-use web interface. They can author new patient scenarios, automatically assess learning objectives, and enable learner-driven simulation for their learners as well. The PCS Communication engine leverages the latest advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence to constantly improve. Best-in-class speech recognition and speech synthesis combined with custom natural language processing neural networks.
