The Role of AI in Healthcare: Balancing Efficiency and Human Expertise

As AI becomes more entrenched in the healthcare field, it has sparked discussions about when to use AI, how to oversee its use, and when human doctors and nurses are best positioned to provide care.

While the proposed efficiencies of AI are attractive to hospital administrators, not all medical professionals are convinced of its benefits for patient care. Healthcare providers will want to be thoughtful about how and when to incorporate human oversight of AI platforms. Creating formal AI policies is one way of communicating a providers philosophy on combining AI and human interaction.

It is also worth noting that AI is not limited to patient care functions alone. Generative AI, which aids in the creation of text and sound outputs, is also seeping into the operational functions of healthcare providers. Some of the more popular generative AI aps are built and trained on open-source code, meaning data used in prompts isn’t private anymore. Developing policies about what data can be used with which AI platforms could aid in ensuring that patient privacy is being met.

I expect that the federal government will eventually enact AI regulations, but it will take time for comprehensive guidelines to be promulgated. In the meantime, healthcare providers can take proactive measures by reviewing or creating internal policies regarding the use of AI by employees and medical professionals. Establishing internal AI policies and providing appropriate training will help navigate the evolving landscape of AI in healthcare.