“Millennials want to be able to have their healthcare consultation from the same place they order their dinner…from the couch,” says Tom Lawry, National Director of AI for Health & Life Sciences at Microsoft. In contrast, many Baby Boomers still prefer a traditional primary care provider who can coordinate all of their care in one setting. AI helps bridge these generational preferences by enabling multiple age groups to access and manage their healthcare on their own terms—whether virtually, in-person, or through a hybrid model.
AI can also be deployed to generate clinically meaningful predictions. For example, it can forecast emergency department volumes to optimize staffing levels, helping organizations better align workforce capacity with patient demand. In oncology, AI can support clinicians by identifying treatment pathways that may be most effective for women with breast cancer. Care teams are using natural language processing and advanced imaging analytics to enhance the interpretation of patient scans. “When a radiologist looks at a scan, they’re typically looking for one thing…But many times in the background, something else can be seen.” AI can detect these secondary findings earlier, supporting earlier intervention and potentially preventing future adverse health events.
One of AI’s greatest promises is transforming how clinical work is performed. Repetitive, administrative, and documentation-heavy tasks can be automated or streamlined, allowing physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals to practice at the top of their licenses. By reducing time spent on charting and paperwork, AI can support more efficient workflows, improve care coordination, and ultimately contribute to better patient outcomes.
AI will significantly influence the future of healthcare delivery, but not to a degree that warrants alarm about replacing clinicians. “What artificial intelligence is good at is things like pattern recognition. It’s great at sifting through massive amounts of data to find something that humans aren’t capable of finding or would take years for humans to find,” Tom explains. However, AI cannot replicate the judgment, empathy, and creativity that clinicians bring to the care experience—qualities that remain central to safe, high-quality care.
Used responsibly, AI may bring us closer to giving burned-out nurses and care teams the relief they urgently need—helping stabilize staffing, reduce cognitive load, and create more sustainable clinical environments.
Reference Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2022/09/14/how-ai-and-machine-learning-will-impact-the-future-of-healthcare/?sh=77b13aa847e5