By now, you’ve heard lots about artificial intelligence (AI) in the news, from friends and family, online, and even at work. You may even be impacted by AI in a significant way, especially if you’ve been laid off from your job, or if you’re a social media manager.
Or: if you’re a patient.
Utility of AI in Healthcare
The most visible way that AI is showing up for patients on a day-to-day basis is in the exam room. You may be asked if an AI transcription service can record the conversation.
I’ve seen many people on social media who are concerned about this use of AI and even refuse it. That’s everyone’s right, of course, the same as it is your right to refuse to allow students to attend your exam.
But is refusing AI transcription in your best interest?
Maybe not. The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) used AI transcription in 2.5 million visits over the course of a year. The upsides of AI transcription included [AMA]:
- An estimated 15,791 hours of documentation time were saved
- 84% of physicians said the AI transcription improved their interactions
- 82% of physicians said their work satisfaction improved
- 47% of patients said their doctor spent less time looking at the computer
- 39% of patients said their doctor spent more time speaking directly with them
- 56% of patients had a positive view of the tool
- 0% of patients had a negative experience
Most of these outcomes focus on physician time and satisfaction, and as a patient, that might not matter as much to you. But it’s worth considering that if your doctor is burned out and overburdened, that’s not going to be helpful to you.
What are Patients Worried About?
UC Davis Health also began using AI scribes. The results showed that younger patients were more concerned about AI scribes than older patients.
- Patient concerns included [UC Davis]:
- Accuracy: 39%
- Privacy and security: 13%
- Prospect of being recorded: 13%
- Bad for physicians and staff: 10%
UC Davis says it addressed some patient concerns about privacy by using domestic servers to store the recordings. They also deleted recordings after 10 days. And of course, patients could always opt out of the program.
AI transcription is a value add; it’s not replacing a human who can do the same job.
As I point out in About IBD Podcast Episode 196 “How to Harness AI for Good Featuring Michael Tresca,” in all the years I’ve been in the medical system as a patient, I’ve only had a human scribe present at one visit. One.
I had many physicians who used a portable tape recorder to take notes during the visit. Recently, this might be connected to the computer rather than a handheld device. Is this materially different than an ambient AI scribe? I don’t think it is, and in the case of a handheld recorder or an iPhone, privacy could also be a concern.
More Ways AI is Showing Up in Healthcare
The use of an AI scribe is one visible way technology is being used in healthcare. As patients, we should be asked about its use, and if we want to know more, we should expect to get answers to our questions.
But there are a number of ways AI could be interacting with your health data without your consent. Some of these include [Maleki]:
- Radiography: Analyzing images
- Pathology: Scanning and analyzing slides
- Integrative health: Collating imaging, laboratory tests, and the patient history for a fuller diagnostic picture
- Monitoring (virtual nurses, wearable tech): Around-the-clock monitoring and feedback
- Telehealth: Exchanging information via video, text, or written messages
When Should You Worry?
We often say that having a chronic illness like IBD is like having a second job. One that you don’t get paid for.
Part of the job of a chronic illness is keeping up with all the documentation, reviewing it, and looking for errors or problems. The use of AI doesn’t change that task for us: we still need to do it. But as patients, we could also use AI to review information ourselves and compare it against what we’re getting from our healthcare providers.
However, this requires some facility with AI tools, which most of us currently don’t have. This is why patients need to monitor how AI is being used in health. Avoiding Chat GPT for environmental and ethical concerns is fine and makes a lot of sense to me. But we still need to understand what AI is, how it works, and where it might be showing up behind the scenes when it comes to our health.
Here’s my advice on how you can double-check your interactions with AI:
- Check the AI tool’s policies on privacy, and remember that if it’s free, you are the product
- Have skepticism and be intentional about the information you input into AI, so you have an understanding as to how your data might be used for training or other purposes
- Think about AI as a starting point: it won’t give all the answers, but can be a thought starter
- Ask AI to show its work and give sources for the information it gives you
- Always verify sources by making sure that the source AI gives is real, and by looking for a second source on your own that gives the same information
- Stay informed in general about healthcare and about what’s happening in your disease space in general, so that you’re not caught off guard
- Think about learning more about digital literacy by reading information online, working with patient advocacy groups, and looking around your community (such as your library system) for programs
Sources:
Feldheim B. AI scribes save 15,000 hours—and restore the human side of medicine. American Medical Association. Jun 12, 2025.
Baxt J. Exploring how patients feel about AI transcription. UC Davis Health. December 16, 2025.
Maleki Varnosfaderani S, Forouzanfar M. The Role of AI in Hospitals and Clinics: Transforming Healthcare in the 21st Century. Bioengineering (Basel). 2024;11(4):337. doi:10.3390/bioengineering11040337