The future is now! AI in healthcare is transforming the medical field, enhancing diagnosis, streamlining workflows, and assisting doctors in providing more precise patient care.
Imagine a vibrant, neon future of flying cars, robot assistants, and little brown cubes that magically transforms into roast beef after a turn in a hi-tech microwave. As for the medical space? In hospitals, doctors and other healthcare practitioners aren’t alone in their role as healers – they are aided by intelligent machines to provide the ultimate patient care.
It’s quite exciting to realise that this future is already being worked on today.
Fancy lifestyle gadgets aside, artificial intelligence (AI) has long been making significant strides in the way healthcare is delivered. From machine learning algorithms to natural language processing, various types of AI are being employed in medical settings.
As announced by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization: “AI is already playing a role in diagnosis and clinical care, drug development, disease surveillance, outbreak response, and health systems management.”
Let’s uncover some of the ways AI can potentially help doctors improve the quality of care they provide.
A Second Set of Eyes
Just like humans, AI can analyse patient data, medical images, and test results to provide an evaluation. Yet unlike humans, they can handle larger amounts of data, and get through it much faster.
They are also a lot more accurate, especially as they are able to sift through information that may be missed by human doctors.
And because they are capable of independently detecting patterns and anomalies, it makes it easier for doctors to identify conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and neurological disorders at an early stage.
Studies have already highlighted how often AI can outperformed humans when it comes to diagnosing a variety of issues based on images.
However, the advantages go beyond identifying physical problems.
The past few years have seen groundbreaking developments in the realm of mental wellbeing – the breakthroughs go as far as being able to determine whether someone is experiencing depression through a smartphone recording.
Such information is crucial in helping doctors decide on how they should further treatment plans.
An Extra Pair of Hands
AI has the ability to parse data efficiently, allowing healthcare providers to automate routine tasks and administrative processes.
Streamlining Workflows
Hospitals and clinics can employ digital aids that can organise a doctor’s appointments to maximise their schedules, respond to prescription-related inquiries, and show practitioners what drugs and medical tools are available.
This frees up a healthcare practitioner’s time so they can focus on providing more personalised care to patients.
Serving As Surgical Assistants

Moreover, outside of labour-intensive factory work, robots have a place in medical environments too.
For instance, robotic surgery enables doctors to perform complex operations with greater control and accuracy. Their application potentially reduces added complications of surgery, such as infections. It could also help result in less pain and scarring, and shorter hospital stays for the patient.
Overall Benefits of Embracing AI in Healthcare
AI empowers doctors to deliver more precise diagnoses and treatment plans while saving valuable time previously spent searching for critical information. This enables them to focus on more complex decision-making to improve patient outcomes. The accuracy offered also help reduce risks of complicated procedures, especially of those associated with surgery.
Furthermore, AI in healthcare can not only support staffing shortages, it can also help to lower the likelihood of staff burnout in the long run. This can go a long way in making practitioners more engaged in supporting patients’ wellness.
Blending Technology and Human Connection
Despite its strengths, AI still has quite a way to go before we can give it a much greater role in healthcare.
For one, AI algorithms, which allows AI to think and react to any data received, may not always be transparent or explainable. However, transparency is an important ethical consideration when it comes to decision-making. And while AI in its current form is more complex and intelligent than older iterations from years ago, it can still fall under biases.
Additionally, there may also be privacy and security concerns when it comes to AI storing and evaluating data many would consider personal.
More importantly, a key component of healthcare is the human touch. Patients trust doctors because of the connection they build, believing that recommended procedures will benefit their health. As such, while AI can take over many aspects of medical work, human practitioners are still the main pillars of the healthcare service.
Ultimately, AI has potential in reshaping the entire health industry. In fact, it has already done so by revolutionising conventional methods of medical intervention. It will only continue to pave the way for a new era in healthcare. We are now looking at just a glimpse into a future where medical practice is more precise, proactive, and patient-centric.