Discussions of artificial intelligence tend to engender hope, hype and even fear. Geeta Nayyar, MD, says AI can’t replace the need for clinicians and humanity in healthcare. Many healthcare leaders expect AI to offer new opportunities in patient care and streamlining operations . But even ardent supporters of AI also acknowledge that the development of new AI tools must be managed carefully, even cautiously.

Geeta Nayyar, MD, author and healthcare technology leader, and Vinitha Ramnathan, chief product officer of NRC Health, talked with Chief Healthcare Executive® about AI in healthcare. In a joint discussion, they offered their perspectives on AI’s potential, the need for ethical safeguards and building trust in AI.

Nayyar, known as “Dr. G,” says the potential for AI in healthcare seems to be “limitless.” She also notes that there were similarly sunny projections for everything from electronic health records to social media.

“We have to be mindful that the lessons we have learned from past technologies need to be applied to AI, no matter how ‘new’ it might seem to be,” Nayyar says.

In a recent 40-minute discussion with Chief Healthcare Executive, they stressed that appreciation for AI’s possibilities doesn’t clash with the need for thoughtful development and use of AI technologies. Read more: Healthcare and AI: Thinking about problems and avoiding mistakes

AI is not a ‘silver bullet’

Healthcare organizations recognize some of the concerns around AI, including the fact that many consumers are leery of AI being used in areas such as patient diagnosis , says Ramnathan.

“Ethical AI is here to stay in healthcare,” Ramnathan says.

And she adds, “There’s a lot of buzz about it, but it’s definitely here, and it’s really up to us now to say, how do we ensure that it’s being used the right way, and what can we do to make that ethical?”Nayyar agrees with that assessment, but says, “I would also add that I think unethical AI is here to stay as well, if we are not mindful as an industry.”The author of “Dead Wrong: Diagnosing and Treating Healthcare’s Misinformation Illness,” Nayyar points to the existence of AI hallucinations as a […]

Even with AI, healthcare must be in ‘the humanity business’