The rapid advancement of AI is creating numerous opportunities for industries to enhance efficiency and boost revenue. However, concerns about job displacement by AI persist, particularly in the healthcare sector. As AI might surpass doctors’ capabilities in faster task automation clinical result analysis, one question arises: Will this cutting-edge technology disrupt the jobs traditionally held by doctors?
Surpassing doctors' capabilities with more speed and accuracy
Higher accuracy
Achieving accuracy is crucial in healthcare, especially in analyzing and interpreting results. With extensive data training, AI can exceed humans’ capabilities and deliver more accurate results at times. In a recent study, researchers compared autonomous AI versus radiologist reporting on 1,100 abnormal posteroanterior chest radiographs. The study reported a 99.1% sensitivity rate for AI on abnormal radiographs compared to a 72.3% sensitivity for radiologist reports.
Faster analysis
Leveraging AI also saves healthcare institutions significant time and effort on manual tasks such as data collection and processing. In another study, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London have created a natural language processing tool to analyze 6,000 patient feedback comments. While the staff took 4 days to analyze the dataset, the tool was able to complete within just 15 minutes.
Cost-saving
AI can save critical healthcare costs, such as medical imaging by analyzing X-rays and MRIs. Generative AI models assist scientists in identifying new disease markers, leading to improved treatments and shorter clinical trials. This leads to a 20% reduction in costs and time and faster approval by up to two years, thereby increasing the value of medical projects.
Technology struggles to replicate human competencies
Many tasks in healthcare are difficult to be replaced by AI because they require complex human traits that AI or other technologies cannot replicate. Research from Open AI, Open Research, and the University of Pennsylvania indicated that jobs requiring critical thinking skills are less likely to be impacted by current large language models. Critical thinking is crucial in healthcare, where professionals need to carefully consider the pros and cons of different solutions. Besides, the resistance to widespread application in healthcare is not due to a belief that it provides inferior care, nor because it is seen as more expensive, less convenient, or less informative. Instead, it comes from the belief that AI does not account for an individual's unique characteristics and circumstances. Sympathy and connection are at the heart of human doctors' care—a quality that AI cannot replicate. As a result, AI-delivered medical care is often perceived as impersonal and standardized, able to treat the average patient but falling short in addressing the unique needs of each individual.
A Harvard Business Review study surveyed over 700 Americans to see if patients would choose AI providers even when AI outperformed human providers. Participants were presented with two healthcare providers, referred to as provider X and provider Y, and asked to evaluate their performance. The evaluation was based on their accuracy in diagnosing skin cancer, making triage decisions during medical emergencies, or the complication rates from pacemaker implant surgeries these providers had conducted in the past. Participants were then asked to indicate their preference between the two providers on a 7-point scale, where 1 meant a strong preference for provider X, 7 indicated a strong preference for provider Y, and 4 showed no preference. When the choice was between a human doctor and an AI provider (such as an algorithm, chatbot, or robotic arm controlled by a computer program), the preference for the higher-performing AI provider was much weaker. Thus, this study suggested that participants were willing to receive care from a human rather than from an AI provider.
AI – A complementary tool rather than a replacement
Concerns about technology disrupting the patient-clinician relationship are not new. However, it is important to note that AI is a companion rather than a replacement to human doctors. Indeed, around 76% of physicians and 78% of patients see AI as a complementary tool in in-person care, while only 13% and 12% consider it a substitute. Specifically, the risk of job displacement due to AI and related health and social care technologies would be lower than in many other sectors. Moreover, a study from the University of Oxford examined which healthcare tasks could be automated and what practitioners thought about this automation. Interestingly, tasks with high automation potential, such as administering anesthetics or dental exams, were often deemed undesirable for automation due to the high level of physical contact involved.
Additionally, very few healthcare jobs are made up of automatable tasks. A study funded by the Health Foundation found that while some roles (such as prescription clerks) may be significantly affected, no single healthcare occupation could be fully automated. A future where healthcare is fully automated remains more fiction than reality, as implementing this technology to the entire workflow would require substantial expenditure. The cost for a workload automation solution can range from 30,000 to 250,000 USD, depending on the complexity of the IT infrastructure. Given that most modern organizations have complex IT environments requiring solutions that can streamline processes across multiple systems, such initiative is not yet feasible.
Will AI replace doctors? The answer is: No
The concerns about job losses in healthcare are valid due to AI's advanced capabilities in boosting productivity and freeing up manual effort. However, new technologies such as AI and automation will redirect staff focus to tasks that cannot be automated instead of aggravating job displacement. Thus, the answer to this question is: Very unlikely.
To further strengthen the relationship between AI and healthcare, a partner is critical to navigate the potential AI challenges and ethical considerations. At FPT Software, we are committed to developing this innovative technology and its integration across all business operations in the FPT ecosystem. As the founding member of the AI alliance, FPT Software aims to contribute to a society where the limitless potential of AI amplifies human capabilities. We are committed to improving public health and ensuring a safer future for all by implementing responsible AI practices and complying with the highest safety regulations in healthcare settings.
Find out more about Responsible AI in Healthcare in the latest article: Responsible AI: Towards A Fair, Transparent, and Ethical Future of Healthcare
