The Fear of Doctors around Artificial Intelligence in Health

How many of you reading this article are in some part wondering if artificial intelligence (AI) is going to be taking over your job?
-And it’s not a wonder that this is a feeling that you have around AI.

• It’s a narrative perpetuated by folks in tech centers, in which technology is the answer to all of humanity’s problems.
• It’s further fueled by media who report breathlessly on technological advances, and they put forward oftentimes this false dichotomy between humans, man against machines.

Some of you may be familiar published by the presenter at Stanford a couple of years (HERE) : an algorithm was created that can ably and impressively perform the task of categorizing skin findings.

• The media got crazy about it.
• Subsequently a firestorm ensued and the authors received some messages that range from enraged to resigned.

In a recent survey of AAD membership, this concept of, “Hey, AI is going to take over my job,” was a primary concern expressed by those who had a negative response to the potential AI technology.

Reference: Justin Ko, MD. AAD Position Statement on Augmented Intelligence. Fusing technology with human Expertise to enhance Dermatological Care. 8th World Congress of Teledermatology, Skin Imaging and AI in Skin diseases – November 2020