AI hype could undermine its real potential in health care

KevinMD December 20, 2024
Austin A. Barr

Imagine if headlines proclaimed, “X-ray sees what doctors can’t” or “Lab test outperforms physicians’ clinical gestalt.” Absurd, right? You can recognize how such claims distort the role these tools play in health care. So why do current narratives surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) sound so similar?

We’ve all seen the sensational headlines: “AI chatbots defeated doctors at diagnosing illness” or “Using AI to detect breast cancer that doctors miss.” These bold proclamations grab attention, drive clicks, and fuel visions of a health care system powered by omniscient algorithms. But such hyperbole not only lacks contextual nuance, it subtly undermines public confidence and creates a false dichotomy between AI and human clinicians.

The problem isn’t just these headlines—it’s part of a larger...

Today's Sponsors

Today's Sponsor