Let the Robots Try Medicine
The authors argue that the medical community should embrace AI-led care rather than relegating it to a supporting role. They contend that many medical processes are algorithmic and that AI could potentially provide superior outcomes to human-only diagnosis and treatment.
Why it matters
This challenges the traditional patient-doctor relationship and sparks debate over the future of medical ethics and AI integration in healthcare.
It’s time for human doctors to get serious about AI.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty. September 8, 2026, 12:54 PM ET Share Save For as long as ChatGPT has existed, Americans have been asking it, “Could that funny little spot on my toe be cancer?” And as AI has advanced over the past few years, doctors have begun to use specialized models to ask much the same questions in clinics. In the face of these developments, professional medical societies have presented a unified front: Doctors must always have the final say in clinical care.
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