This article appeared in the June 2020 issue as "Will A.I. Make Medicine More Human?" Subscribe to Discover magazine for more stories like these.
Today, going to see your doctor can feel a little impersonal; to many, physicians appear rushed, uncaring and aloof. According to a 2019 study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, doctors only ask patients about their concerns around a third of the time. When they do ask, they interrupt within 11 seconds two-thirds of the time. And because physicians must now plug medical data into electronic health records, they often spend appointments tending to their computer keyboards instead of their patients. These short, awkward visits could have big consequences: A 2014 study estimates that around 12 million adults are misdiagnosed in the U.S. each year.
But, somewhat paradoxically, cardiologist Eric Topol thinks that machines — specifically, artificial intelligence — might be able to help.
