High on Health: Is Artificial Intelligence ‘Deskilling’ Your Doctors?

As the old saying goes, use it or lose it.

As MAHA sweeps the nation, people are finding a renewed interest in their health. Today, that often means interacting with artificial intelligence. As AI continues to grow in popularity and advancements, it has been a boon to health care – but it also has its disadvantages. What happens when doctors rely so much on technology that they lose their skills?

Artificial Intelligence May Be ‘Deskilling’ Doctors

In an observational study published by a journal called The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, researchers discovered that the use of artificial intelligence has led to diminished skills in some doctors. The study observed 1,400 non-AI-assisted procedures by endoscopists who routinely use AI during colonoscopies. The researchers found that, when not using the technology, the adenoma detection rate dropped from 28.4% to 22.4% after just three months of not using AI. In simpler terms, that means endoscopists detected significantly fewer precancerous growths when artificial intelligence was removed.

Co-author of the study, Marcin Romańczyk, MD, suggested that continuous exposure to AI may lead to “deskilling” when it is not in use. It’s like trying to go somewhere today without GPS to guide you. “Imagine that you want to travel anywhere, and you’re unable to use Google Maps,” Romańczyk told MedPage Today. “We call it the Google Maps effect. We try to get somewhere, and it’s impossible to use a regular map. It works very similarly.”

Use It or Lose It

Technology isn’t new, and deskilling is happening to everyone, not just doctors. Remember the days when people practically carried a Rolodex in their minds and remembered every phone number? Today, some of us have to look up our own number on our cell – never mind being able to recall anyone else’s digits. Dependency on cell phones and other technology starts younger and younger, too. Some kids are just as reliant on them as adults, and the more we rely on technology, the less we depend on some of our skills.

“We assume that continuous exposure to decision support systems such as AI might lead to the natural human tendency to over-rely on their recommendations, leading to clinicians becoming less motivated, less focused, and less responsible when making cognitive decisions without AI assistance,” the authors of the study wrote.

Omer Ahmad, MBBS, PhD, of University College London, said in an editorial in MedPage Today that this reliance could reflect weakened visual search habits, altered gaze patterns, dulling pattern recognition, and reduced diagnostic confidence.

There are also ethical concerns with having artificial intelligence in health care. According to a study by PubMed Central, our health data isn’t protected enough. Information stored digitally can be hacked. Some social networks collect large amounts of user data without consent – including mental health information – which can be used for marketing and advertising. “Also, some genetics testing and bioinformatics companies, which are not legal or closely monitored, sell customer data to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies,” the outlet explained.

Additionally, AI isn’t known for its ability to provide compassion and empathy, potentially making things more difficult for children and patients with life-threatening or frightening illnesses.

While artificial intelligence has made great contributions to health care, “this achievement has imposed new requirements in the field of medical ethics,” PubMed Central explained.  “Consequently, we should be aware that its negative aspects might outweigh its benefits. To overcome this problem, experts must consider humanity and ethics in this regard.”

Doctors risk going rusty if they don’t keep their skills sharp, which can affect patient care. Advanced technology is helpful, but we can’t afford to let it replace good, old-fashioned humanity.