A.I. Is Making Doctors Answer a Question: What Are They Really Good For?

 

 

The rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare as of early 2026 is forcing physicians to redefine their professional identity, shifting their value from data processing and routine diagnosis to human-centric complex judgment and emotional support. While AI now matches or exceeds human diagnostic accuracy in many areas, doctors are increasingly viewed as "Field Marshals" or "Co-pilots" who manage AI-driven insights to provide holistic care.

 

Redefining the Doctor's Value

As AI assumes tasks once reserved for medical experts, the primary question facing the profession is: "When is it time to get out of the way and let a computer take over?".

 

    From Pattern Matching to Reasoning: Experts noted that while AI excels at matching patterns (e.g., reading scans or ECGs), humans remain superior at interpreting subtle, non-verbal cues and exercising reasoning with imperfect information.

 

    The "Scutwork" Solution: AI is taking over the "tedious parts" of medicine—administrative tasks like clinical documentation and note-taking—which previously consumed 60% of a doctor's time.

 

    Triage and Access: Specialized bots now triage patients, directing routine cases to nurse practitioners or generalists, which allows highly trained specialists to focus exclusively on complex cases that require their specific expertise.

 

AI's Expanding Capabilities in 2026

Recent data highlights that AI is no longer a pilot program but a standard clinical tool:

 

    Diagnostic Superiority: AI diagnostic reasoning scores reached 71% in clinical case reviews, compared to 43% for physicians using conventional resources like PubMed.

 

    Ambient Intelligence: "Ambient scribes" that listen to patient visits and generate real-time clinical notes have reduced administrative tasks by nearly 40%.

 

    Proactive Care: AI systems now predict health crises like sepsis or cardiac events hours or even weeks before symptoms appear by analyzing continuous data from wearables.

 

Current Market Sentiment

The financial sector reflects this massive shift, with the medical AI market projected to grow from $5 billion in 2020 to over $45 billion by late 2026.

Risks and Ethical Concerns

Despite its benefits, the transition has introduced significant challenges:

 

    Bias and Hallucination: AI can mirror existing institutional biases or generate "authoritative but invalid" responses.

    Clinical Deskilling: There is a growing concern that younger providers may become "AI-dependent," leading to an erosion of fundamental clinical skills and judgment.

    Loss of Human Connection: While 84% of physicians report improved communication due to AI assistance, some patients fear being shunted to "second-rate" robotic care.

 

Several examples how does it work in practice:

 

“Many physicians find chatbots threatening, but that doesn’t mean they’re giving up on medicine.

 

When it’s time to have a difficult conversation with a dying patient about whether to insert a feeding tube, Dr. Jonathan Chen, an internist at Stanford, practices first with a chatbot. He asks the bot to be a doctor while he plays the role of the patient. Then he reverses the roles.

 

He feels uncomfortable doing it. The bot is so good at finding ways to talk to patients. Doctors also know it is so good at diagnosing and so good at reading scans and images — better than many doctors, in fact — and so good at answering patient questions in portals and writing appeals to insurance companies when a medication or procedure is denied.

 

So what is a doctor for?

 

A.I. programs are becoming “existentially threatening,” for doctors, Dr. Chen said. “They threaten your identity and your purpose.”

 

Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a cardiologist at Yale and adviser to OpenEvidence, an A.I. program for doctors, agrees.

 

“A.I.’s reasoning and ability to make diagnoses is already outpacing what physicians can do,” said Dr. Krumholz, who is also a co-founder of two start-ups using A.I. to interpret medical scans and digital data.

 

Many doctors who have thought deeply about the role of A.I. in medicine have also worked with A.I. companies. Dr. Chen is one who has not, but he said that he and many of his colleagues were being forced to ask “When is it time to just get out of the way and let a computer take over?””

 

 

 

Trijų pupelių sriuba

 

Autorė Melissa Clark

 

„Bendras laikas

40 minučių

Paruošimo laikas

10 minučių

Virimo laikas

30 minučių

Įvertinimas

5

 

Trijų pupelių salotos dažniausiai yra iškylų ​​ir bendrų vaišių patiekalas. Tačiau tas pats konservuotų ir šviežių žaliųjų pupelių derinys tampa minkštas ir šilkinis, kai troškinamas sultinyje, papildytas pomidorų pasta sodrumui ir saldumui, malta kalendra šiltam aromatui ir žiupsneliu parmezano sodrumui. Kaip ir klasikinėse trijų pupelių salotose, lengvai marinuoti raudonieji svogūnai suteikia rūgštumo ir traškumo.

 

Ingredientai

 

Išeiga: 4 porcijos

 

1 didelis raudonasis svogūnas, plonai supjaustytas

3 šaukštai šviežių laimo sulčių

1 arbatinis šaukštelis smulkios jūros arba stalo druskos, daugiau pagal poreikį

3 šaukštai ypač tyro alyvuogių aliejaus, daugiau patiekimui

2 saliero stiebai, supjaustyti griežinėliais

1 morka, supjaustyta griežinėliais

3 skiltelės česnako, susmulkintos

1 šaukštas pomidorų pastos

1 arbatinis šaukštelis maltos kalendros

½ arbatinio šaukštelio šviežiai maltų juodųjų pipirų (daugiau patiekimui)

1 litras daržovių arba vištienos sultinio

1 (15 uncijų) skardinė nuplautų baltųjų pupelių

1 (15 uncijų) skardinė nuplautų raudonųjų pupelių arba avinžirnių

225 g žaliųjų pupelių, supjaustytų 2,5 cm gabalėliais (apie 1¾ puodelio)

Tarkuoto parmezano, saliero lapų ir smulkintų petražolių patiekimui

 

Paruošimas

 

1 žingsnis

 

Mažame dubenyje sumaišykite ⅓ puodelio svogūnų griežinėlių su laimo sultimis ir žiupsneliu druskos ir palikite pastovėti, retkarčiais pamaišydami, kol sriuba verda.

 

2 žingsnis

 

Įkaitinkite didelį puodą ant vidutinės ugnies maždaug minutę, kad sušiltų. Įpilkite aliejaus ir kaitinkite, kol sutirštės, maždaug 30 sekundžių. Sudėkite likusius svogūnų griežinėlius, salierą, morką ir žiupsnelį druskos ir virkite, kol daržovės labai suminkštės ir paruduos kraštuose, 7–10 minučių.

 

3 žingsnis

 

Sudėkite česnaką, pomidorų pastą, kalendrą ir pipirus ir virkite, kol pasta patamsės, o česnakas taps kvapnus, maždaug 1 minutę.

4 žingsnis

 

Supilkite sultinį, baltąsias ir pupeles ir užvirinkite. Virkite ant silpnos ugnies 15–20 minučių, kol sriuba taps malonaus skonio, jei reikia, įberkite daugiau druskos. Jei norite tirštesnio sultinio, galite sutrinti dalį pupelių šaukšto nugarėle, kad išsiskirtų krakmolas. Arba palikite pupeles sveikas, kad sriuba būtų sultingesnė.

 

5 žingsnis

 

Į puodą sudėkite žaliąsias pupeles ir virkite, kol suminkštės, 4–8 minutes.

 

6 žingsnis

 

Į kiekvieną dubenėlį įdėkite marinuotų svogūnų ir, jei norite, šiek tiek laimo sulčių, taip pat gausiai apšlakstykite parmezano sūriu, įberkite pipirų, salierų lapų, petražolių ir apšlakstykite alyvuogių aliejumi."

 

 

Three Bean Soup

 

By Melissa Clark

 

 

“Total Time

    40 minutes

Prep Time

    10 minutes

Cook Time

    30 minutes

Rating

    5

 

Three bean salads are usually the stuff of picnics and potlucks. But that same combination of canned beans and fresh green beans turns soft and silky when simmered into broth, rounded out with tomato paste for body and sweetness, ground coriander for a warm note and a sprinkling of Parmesan for depth. And just as in a classic three bean salad, a garnish of lightly pickled red onions adds acidity and crunch.

 

Ingredients

 

Yield: 4 servings

 

    1large red onion, thinly sliced

    3tablespoons fresh lime juice

    1teaspoon fine sea or table salt, more as needed

    3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for serving

    2celery stalks, sliced

    1carrot, sliced

    3garlic cloves, minced

    1tablespoon tomato paste

    1teaspoon ground coriander

    ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more for serving

    1quart vegetable or chicken broth

    1(15-ounce) can white beans, rinsed

    1(15-ounce) can kidney beans or chickpeas, rinsed

    8ounces green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1¾ cups)

    Grated Parmesan, celery leaves and chopped parsley, for serving

 

Preparation

 

    Step 1

 

    In a small bowl, combine ⅓ cup of the onion slices with the lime juice and a pinch of salt and let sit, tossing occasionally, while the soup simmers.

    Step 2

 

    Heat a large pot over medium-high for a minute or so to warm it up. Add the oil and heat until it thins out, about 30 seconds. Add remaining onion slices, celery, carrot and a pinch of salt, and cook until the vegetables are very soft and brown at the edges, 7 to 10 minutes.

    Step 3

 

    Add the garlic, tomato paste, coriander and pepper, and cook until the paste darkens and the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.

    Step 4

 

    Add broth, white beans and kidney beans, and bring to a simmer. Let simmer until the soup is nice and flavorful, adding more salt if needed, 15 to 20 minutes. If you like a thicker broth, you can smash some of the beans with the back of the spoon to release their starch. Or leave the beans whole for a brothier soup.

    Step 5

 

    Add the green beans to the pot and simmer until tender, 4 to 8 minutes.

    Step 6

 

    Top each bowl with some of the pickled onions and a little of the lime juice if you like, plus a generous shower of Parmesan, more pepper, celery leaves, parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.”