But even a device that is “accurate” does not necessarily improve health outcomes. oh maybe Speed up interpretation of chest X-raysFor example. But how much would a doctor trust its analysis? How will that device affect the way doctors interact with patients or recommend treatments? And finally: What will it mean for those patients?
Wiens says the answers to those questions may vary between hospitals or departments and depend on clinical workflow. They may also vary between doctors at different stages of their careers.
Take AI writers as another example. Some? Research on the use of AI in education Suggests that such devices may affect the way people cognitively process information. Could they affect the way doctors process patient information? Will these tools impact the way medical students think about patient data in ways that will impact care? These questions need to be explored, Wiens says. “We love things that save us time, but we have to think about the unintended consequences,” she says.
In A study published in January 2025Paige Nong and her colleagues at the University of Minnesota found that about 65% of US hospitals used AI-assisted forecasting tools. Only two-thirds of those hospitals rated their accuracy. Even fewer people evaluated him for bias.
Venus says the number of hospitals using these devices has probably increased since then. Entities other than those hospitals, or the companies developing the devices, need to evaluate how much they help in specific settings. There’s a possibility that they could leave patients worse off, though it’s more likely that AI tools are not as beneficial as health care providers might believe, Wiens says.
“I really believe in the potential of AI to improve clinical care,” says Venus, who emphasizes that she doesn’t want to stop the adoption of AI tools in health care. She just wants more information about how they’re affecting people. “I have to believe that this will not happen in the future All A.I. Or no ai,” she says. “It’s somewhere in the middle.”
This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review Weekly Biotech Newsletter. To get it in your inbox every Thursday, and to be the first to read articles like this, Sign up here.
