THE CONCEPT OF «CYBERPATIENT» IN THE CONTEXT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE APPLICATION

Abstract

This article examines the phenomenon of the cyberpatient within the
context of the growing integration of artificial intelligence in healthcare and the digital
environment. The study emphasises the necessity of recognising artificial intelligence as
an objective element of contemporary social reality and raises the fundamental question
of whether its increasing presence in human life should be regarded as beneficial or
potentially harmful.
The concept of the cyberpatient is defined as an individual who functions either
as a subject or as an object (depending on the analytical perspective) within the medical
sphere through the use of information technologies and artificial intelligence aimed at
improving physical and mental health outcomes.
The phenomenon is analysed through three interrelated dimensions reflecting the
interaction between human interests and artificial intelligence technologies. First, the
cyberpatient is considered as a virtual patient in medical education, where advanced
interactive systems support the development of medical and psychological care
competencies. A key element of such systems is the artificial patient, understood as a
computer-based simulation of the human body or its subsystems at different levels
(biochemical, cellular, physiological, and systemic). These models make it possible to
simulate the effects of pharmacological interventions, predict physiological responses,
and analyse the influence of various natural physical factors on the human organism.
Second, the cyberpatient is examined as a consumer of medical information in the
digital environment, where the Internet functions as a global virtual repository of medical
knowledge and health-related resources.
Third, the cyberpatient is analysed in relation to mental health risks associated
with interaction with artificial intelligence, particularly in two key aspects: (a) the
influence of AI-driven chatbots on cognitive health, and (b) the emergence of phenomena
described as AI-induced psychosis.
The study concludes that the implementation of artificial intelligence in
healthcare must be oriented toward strengthening, rather than undermining, human
health. In this context, an essential principle is that authentic care and therapeutic
assistance should remain the responsibility of human professionals, while artificial
technologies should function primarily as supportive tools rather than systems designed
mainly to increase engagement with AI platforms. The scientific community, public
institutions, and society as a whole therefore face the task of developing effective
frameworks for the research, regulation, and responsible use of artificial intelligence
technologies.

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