Will my doctor be replaced by AI?

AI is now being used across many parts of medicine, from analysing health data to developing new drugs and even supporting virtual care. 

But does that mean our GPs or specialists could one day be replaced by robots?

The future is here

For anyone who feels that talking about their symptoms to an AI would be too impersonal, the good news is that the answer is “probably not.”

Still, Dr Danie Hugo, an orthopaedic surgeon at Mediclinic Durbanville, says we’re only months away from AI becoming part of every doctor’s visit. “It’s very likely that soon you’ll walk into a doctor’s room, and the AI will record the conversation, prepare the documents and reports for the patient and referring doctor, generate a prescription, and capture all the important information.”

Dr Hugo explains the technology enabling such processes already exists – it’s merely a case of fine tuning it. When this happens, patients will have a more efficient, possibly even more cost-effective experience.

A new way of working

Dr Hugo says healthcare professionals also stand to benefit from this hybrid model that he believes is far more realistic than a situation where doctors are entirely replaced by AI.

“One of the most important uses of AI is to lighten doctors’ administrative workload,” he says. For example, when making case notes, it’s easy for a doctor to miss a detail while recording what a patient says. AI helps prevent this by accurately capturing all the information. It keeps getting better as it learns and updates its knowledge. It can also make helpful suggestions, like asking if an X-ray is needed or organising all the data into an easy-to-read diagram.

“In the past, we used to search academic articles when looking for information or advice about a tricky case. With AI, we can apply an element of intelligence to that search, refine it and come up with the most relevant information,” Dr Hugo points out.

Added to this, with AI taking over tasks related to admin, doctors have more mental and physical energy to apply to other areas of their work: preparing for surgery, perhaps, or conducting research. 

Some things will remain the same

Dr Hugo maintains that AI use may end here – at least for now. “In some areas, AI is simply not applicable – at present, it cannot be used in surgery, for example,” he says.

There’s also the question of ethics, which poses a potential hurdle. Currently, healthcare professionals are responsible for diagnoses and recommending treatment. Patients then have recourse if either process is flawed. “The question is, who will assume responsibility when AI is employed to conduct these tasks?”

Dr Hugo is also concerned that AI can still “hallucinate” at times, creating inaccurate information. This risk is reduced when humans review any AI-generated reports, which is why it’s important that doctors remain the main decision-makers when diagnosing or prescribing treatment.

“As it stands, AI is a wonderful for empowering doctors and taking care of some of the tasks that don’t require their expertise, but I don’t think it will be more than an adjunct to any doctor’s practice,” Dr Hugo says.