Foto mystartupnews.in / Rising use of AI in clinics raises questions for experts
AI as a “second opinion”: how the day-to-day work of physicians is changing
As NBCnews writes, in large medical networks and among primary care physicians, its use may be even higher than average. In sum, we are talking about hundreds of thousands of specialists and tens of millions of clinical calls every month, where algorithms help make decisions.
The main advantage is speed. Tasks that used to require 20-40 minutes of searching medical databases are now done in seconds. Doctors turn to AI for answers to specific clinical questions, from selecting drug therapy and analyzing side effects to choosing diagnostic methods for controversial symptoms.
Today’s systems are trained on huge data sets – millions of pages of peer-reviewed studies and clinical guidelines, including leading medical journals. This allows you to more quickly navigate constantly updated treatment protocols, which are updated with hundreds of new scientific papers each year.
Risks, investments and new reliance on algorithms
Despite the rise in popularity, there are also growing concerns surrounding medical AI. Studies show that in complex and rare clinical cases, the accuracy of algorithms can decrease – in some scenarios to below 50%. An additional risk is associated with the phenomenon of “automatic confidence,” where physicians begin to place too much trust in the system’s cues and are less likely to double-check data.
Today, nearly 80% of physicians in the U.S. are already using some form of artificial intelligence, from automatically transcribing records to assisting in diagnosis. In terms of adoption rates, AI is outpacing even electronic medical records, which have been introduced into the healthcare system for more than a decade.
In parallel, economic interest is also growing: investments in medical AI run into billions of dollars, and technology companies and venture funds are actively competing for a share of the market, which could become one of the key markets in global medicine.
Physicians’ opinions are divided. Some call AI a “second opinion in seconds,” improving accuracy and saving time. Others warn that without strict control and training, such systems may gradually change the very logic of clinical thinking, especially in new generations of specialists.
Nevertheless, the trend is already strong: artificial intelligence has ceased to be an experiment and has become part of everyday medical practice – even if it is not always spoken aloud.
