An Acupuncturist's Intelligence Is Not Artificial

Canva is a tool used to create images for marketing purposes. I have an account with Canva and I have used it quite a bit. Recently Canva began offering an AI tool, so I thought I'd give it a try. Though I know that AI is enhanced when the prompts are extremely specific, I wanted to see what would come up if I simply typed in "acupuncture", especially knowing that extensive information about acupuncture exists online. I figured there was a decent chance that a good image would be created. Instead, what AI produced was the above image, which to me appears to be someone dressed in a robe straddling a patient while long needles emerge from their fingers into the abdomen at angles that I would never do. Obviously, this is not an appropriate representation of acupuncture.

Colleagues have also used AI to attempt to create images as well, only to be met with pictures of anatomical abnormalities in settings with such extreme levels of cultural appropriation and racism that they're beyond embarrassing. 

Here is where things begin to get concerning.....I've seen images on social media that are posted by various wellness companies that are intended to provide information about acupuncture.....except that the images are completely inaccurate. I've seen illustrations of Five Element Theory, something I've shared in my blogs a lot, that don't have the elements in the correct order. I've seen diagrams of acupuncture points along with descriptions about the point's health benefits that show an incorrect point location and/or wrong information. What's worse is that these wellness companies are using these images to inform the public....and to likely try to convince you to purchase something.

I decided to take it a step further and Google "What acupuncture protocol is good for anxiety." The points that AI suggested were Yintang, DU 20, HT 7, LI 4 and LV 3. That treatment that AI created isn't awful, but it's not one that I've ever created despite the fact that I treat anxiety several times per day and have seen excellent results throughout the years.

Most importantly, this exercise highlights why a well trained licensed Acupuncturist will always be more intelligent than AI. Though there are go-to protocols for treating things like anxiety, ultimately it's what the Acupuncturist is observing that will dictate the direction of the acupuncture treatment. Things like pulse reading and hara (abdominal) evaluation play a huge role in how I create an acupuncture treatment each session. Other licensed Acupuncturists will do tongue reading. Acupuncturists are also taught to evaluate the smell and sound of a patient, the findings of which can contribute to the direction of the acupuncture treatment. Then there's what's actually happening in the treatment room. For example, if a patient is willing but happens to be somewhat sensitive to needles, I'll choose a more comfortable point for the sake of easing that patient into a parasympathetic state, also known as a healing state.

With all of this said, it concerns me greatly the amount of incorrect information about acupuncture that I've seen on social media. It makes me wonder about the scale of misinformation about health that exists online and how troubling that is considering most people who are not educated in healthcare don't have the tools to be discerning of this information. For now, follow the advice of trusted practitioners....they're way more intelligent than AI.