My first use of Generative Artificial Intelligence: a technological feat that left me impressed. To me, tapping into its capabilities felt limitless, as if it were the optimal clinical companion. Yet, I noticed something unsettling. Patients began arriving at the clinic with recommendations from ChatGPT that contradicted my recommendations. That moment raised a question we cannot ignore: are we racing ahead of our ethical compass?
AI is no longer theoretical in medicine. From radiology to primary care, AI-driven tools assist with diagnosis, streamline paperwork and even propose treatment plans. In a profession stretched by burnout, staffing shortages and endless documentation, AI looks like a good solution. Yet we have only scratched the surface of the ethical dilemma associated with its use.
As a physician-in-training, I often find myself at the intersection of awe and apprehension when encountering new technology. Algorithms can analyze massive datasets and detect patterns but the questions that matter most aren’t technical; they’re ethical.
Who is accountable when AI makes a mistake?
How do we confront bias embedded in the data?
Can an algorithm truly understand the lived experiences and social determinants that shape health?
And most importantly, who decides how and when these tools are used?
The Myth of Objectivity
One of the most seductive claims about AI is that it is objective, unlike human providers, who rely on data. But data itself is not neutral, it is based on the disparities of the world we inhabit. So in a way, every algorithm carries the values, assumptions, and blind spots of its creators. To rely unthinkingly on AI is to risk outsourcing our ethics to digital code, which is not always transparent. Careful use of AI in medicine demands human oversight and accountability.
The Danger of Detachment
In a system already dominated by lab values, EHR clicks and risk scores, AI promises speed, but faster is not always better. Compassion and trust cannot be coded, and no machine can replace the healing power of human connection.
Charting a Responsible Path Forward
How should providers move forward responsibly?
First, by demanding transparency. Patients and providers deserve to know how AI tools are built and what limitations they carry. Secrecy only fuels mistrust. Second, ensure inclusivity. AI must be trained on diverse, representative data. It is just as important that the teams designing these systems reflect the diversity of the patients we serve. Third, formalize training. Medical schools should prepare future physicians to recognize both the promises and the pitfalls of AI.
Finally, by keeping humanity at the center. AI should enhance, not replace, the most revered patient-provider relationship. If used wisely, it can free us to spend more time with patients, not less.
A Call to Young Healers
Our next generation of physicians stands at the edge of a technological revolution. But progress without reflection risks leaving us unmoored. Let us not trade trust and empathy for efficiency. Let us not be the generation that lost the art of medicine. Instead, let us integrate technology wisely, critically and ethically lest we “inherit the wind.”
The responsibility is ours.
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