AI Will Never Replace A Doctor

With the increasing capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) in the medical field, there is a question of whether doctors’ jobs are at risk. Undoubtedly, AI technology can perform tasks traditionally carried out by humans, including providing general medical advice, diagnosing medical conditions using patient data, and predicting outcomes based on available patient information.

During a panel discussion at the Smart Health Summit in Johannesburg, Dr Mohammed Dalwai, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Essential Medical Guidance (EMG), along with Luis da Silva, CEO of Healthbridge, and Dr Rajesh Patel, Head of Health Systems Strengthening at the Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF), discussed the opportunities and challenges of AI in medical care. The session was moderated by Warren Hickinbotham, Founder and CEO of AxessHealth Global Limited.

If you are a doctor reading this, the panellists suggest your job is safe. Dr Dalwai stated, “AI will never replace a doctor or a healthcare worker, but those who use AI will replace those who don’t.” According to him, the impact of AI will be in primary healthcare, as it will provide easier access to medical services to the general population. Dr Dalwai explained, “There are quick wins with what Machine Learning (ML) can do in analyzing data. In the future, this technology could offer many possibilities that we currently do not understand. We should utilize what is usable today and trust it. AI doesn’t threaten our existence.”

Health organizations have amassed vast datasets, including health records, images, population data, claims data, and clinical trial data. Dr Patel emphasized that AI technologies are well-suited to analyze this data and uncover patterns and insights that humans may not be able to find on their own. “With deep learning from AI, healthcare facilities can use algorithms to make better business and clinical decisions, ultimately improving the quality of the experiences they provide,” he stated.

The experts were asked, “Does AI empower the patient or the doctor?” They responded as follows:

• You need a doctor’s steady hand.
• AI will not be able to see the body language of the patient.
• AI knows what it knows but it will never know my patient.
• AI will give patients the decision on when to see a doctor. Doctors should ask themselves the point where they should de-medicalise some services.
• AI will give accessible health services to patients.
• Fundamentally we must rethink the power of the doctor. Prescription is going to be based on the metadata that a doctor has.

What are your thoughts?