Robots are slowly making their way into our everyday lives, from customer service bots to ChatGPT’s sometimes questionable AI-generated advice. We’ve all seen the headlines about the professions most at risk of being replaced by AI robots, but are doctors on the list?
While you can still expect to see a human doctor today, they’re more likely to be assisted by a range of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to give them greater real-time insights into your health. AI-assisted diagnostics are already on the rise, and while it’s impossible to predict the future, we’re exploring the growth of AI healthcare and how it’s shaping the medical industry.
How AI is Already Changing Healthcare
The next time you go to a doctor’s office or the hospital, you’re likely to encounter AI healthcare tools. This technology is becoming increasingly prominent in the medical industry, with the World Health Organization (WHO) actively working on “developing guidance to help countries deploy AI for health”.
AI is already having a positive impact on doctors’ day-to-day workflow, reducing administrative tasks, improving clinical decision-making, and assisting patients with wearable health technology and AI-powered home testing kits.
Analysts also predict that AI healthcare tools could save hundreds of thousands of lives annually and help the United States reduce its annual medical spending by up to $360 billion.
While it’s easy to jump to the idea of a dystopian society where robots become doctors, AI’s real potential is its ability to close the gap in healthcare accessibility in developing countries. The World Economic Forum estimates that 4.5 billion people lack access to essential healthcare services, and AI is key to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of universal healthcare coverage by 2030.
Although AI technology is helping doctors detect early signs of common diseases, spot fractures, and triage patients more effectively, AI adoption is “below average” compared to other industries.
Today’s Robots are Actually AI Devices
Yes, AI can be empowering to humans. Actually, it already is. It’s empowering to everyday people like you and me and it’s also helping doctors do their jobs better. A few examples of both:
- A Skin Cancer App for Doctors. There is now an AI melanoma discovery app for dermatologists that can distinguish between malignant and benign skin lesions. It does just as good a job as a human doctor and is much faster. Since skin cancer screenings are an important part of cancer prevention, this represents a huge step forward. Doctors admit it’s very difficult to find all the malignancies by eye.
- Codependent Robot-Doctor Surgery. Next-gen surgical robotics are surpassing what da Vinci robot systems can do. They’re helping doctors perform transplants and surgeries on such micro scales that it boggles the mind. Ear surgery is one example where surgeons have half a millimeter leeway between touching the facial and taste nerves. That narrow space is where an electrode needs to be deposited in cochlear surgery.
- Cute AI Robots. Companion robots that look after your health at home are on the rise. Older Americans, for example, benefit from helpful reminders of when to take their medication. The companion robots can also read facial expressions, call the doctor if necessary, and send important health data to the doctor’s office.
The first two examples are easily palatable to most people: how can you be against tools that help doctors do their jobs? But the cute AI robots that roll around senior living complexes or tech-forward homes might be harder to digest.
While the possibilities of AI in healthcare really intrigue me, I know they send shivers up the spines of others. Whether they’re afraid their privacy will be violated, or they’re just plain creeped out, there are a lot of folks who won’t ever consider letting a cute AI robot roll into their lives.
Are Robot Doctors Really Possible?
It’s easy to assume that robots would be the next step after AI, but could they really replace human doctors? AI is only the latest in a series of technological advances within the medical field. Throughout history, the role of doctors and clinicians has evolved with these developments, redefining their work. The same way self-care apps have changed how we all approach our individual health.
AI healthcare tools are also being developed during a crucial period for the healthcare industry, with experts estimating that there will be a shortage of 11 million health workers by 2030, and healthcare workers are also facing record levels of burnout and demoralization.
While robot doctors won’t be a reality anytime soon, AI can fill the workforce gap and relieve the workload of medical professionals to prevent burnout. While AI-enabled ECGs can predict the likelihood of patients having a serious heart condition, it is still up to human clinicians to spot these warning signs early and to monitor patient progress.
At its core, healthcare is all about humans. The connection and trust you have with your doctor are things a robot could never replicate. But whether we’re ready for it or not, AI will change healthcare. It will also help make it more accessible globally and drastically improve patient outcomes through early detection, personalized treatment plans, and streamlined workflows for healthcare workers.
