“If I Had All the Time in the World”: Ophthalmologists’ Perceptions of Anchoring Bias Mitigation in Clinical AI Support

Clinical needs and technological advances have resulted in increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in clinical decision support. However, such support can introduce new and amplify existing cognitive biases. Through contextual inquiry and interviews, we set out to understand the use of an existing AI support system by ophthalmologists. We identified concerns regarding anchoring bias and a misunderstanding of the AI’s capabilities. Following, we evaluated clinicians’ perceptions of three bias mitigation strategies as integrated into their existing decision support system. While clinicians recognised the danger of anchoring bias, we identified a concern around the impact of bias mitigation on procedure time. Our participants were divided in their expectations of any positive impact on diagnostic accuracy, stemming from varying reliance on the decision support. Our results provide insights into the challenges of integrating bias mitigation into AI decision support.