As AI becomes a prominent fixture in everyday communication, health literacy professionals face a new challenge: how to use these tools effectively without losing the human-centered clarity that defines our field. This session is a practical look at the intersection of AI and professional workforce development. We will move past the hype to examine how AI may assist (and not replace) the health literacy practitioner by reducing cognitive load and improving productivity. We will explore the strengths and specific limitations of using AI for initial plain-language drafting and discuss how to identify what I call the "smooth uncertainty" often found in AI-generated content. Attendees will leave with practical questions to ask before using AI and have a better grasp on how to maintain human judgment as the primary safeguard to using AI in the workplace.
Objectives:
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Evaluate the potential benefits and risks of using AI tools to assist with drafting initial plain-language health materials.
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Identify "smooth uncertainty" and confident hallucinations in AI-generated content that could lead to patient misunderstanding.
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Apply a critical-thinking checklist to AI outputs to ensure that human judgment remains the final authority for health-literate communications.
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