Bioinformatics Illustrations Decoded by ChatGPT: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Emerging studies underscore the promising capabilities of large language model-based chatbots in conducting fundamental bioinformatics data analyses. The recent feature of accepting image-inputs by ChatGPT motivated us to explore its efficacy in deciphering bioinformatics illustrations. Our evaluation with examples in cancer research, including sequencing data analysis, multimodal network-based drug repositioning, and tumor clonal evolution, revealed that ChatGPT can proficiently explain different plot types and apply biological knowledge to enrich interpretations. However, it struggled to provide accurate interpretations when quantitative analysis of visual elements was involved. Furthermore, while the chatbot can draft figure legends and summarize findings from the figures, stringent proofreading is imperative to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the content.