Student doctor Robert Sithole explores the pros and cons of AI use in healthcare, and how a strong foundation is the key to success.

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There’s a lot of talk these days about artificial intelligence (AI) taking over medicine. Some people fear that machines will eventually replace doctors entirely. But the truth is, AI won’t replace good doctors, it will replace bad ones. And as future doctors, that’s something we should take seriously.

AI is incredibly powerful (all medical students before AI probably feel pre-historic relics ). It can scan thousands of lab results, X-rays, and ECGs in seconds. It picks up patterns that even experienced clinicians might miss. It doesn’t get tired, and it can process far more data than any human.

Right now, AI tools are already being used in hospitals to assist with diagnosing diseases, recommending treatment plans, predicting patient outcomes, and even helping write clinical notes. These tools can help save time, reduce errors, and improve efficiency (all the good things).

But while AI is fast and accurate in some areas, it also has real limits. It doesn’t have empathy. It doesn’t sit with a crying patient or comfort a worried family member. It doesn’t understand the social and emotional side of illness. It can’t make ethical judgments or build trust. Being a good doctor means more than making the right diagnosis. It means listening, connecting, explaining, and caring. These are human skills, and they matter just as much, if not more, than the technical ones.

So, who should be worried?

Honestly, the doctors who don’t do much more than follow basic steps, copy guidelines, rush through consults, or ignore the deeper needs of patients. If your entire job could be done by a machine that just processes information and gives answers, then yes AI might do it better. Not because it’s smarter, but because the human touch was missing in the first place. This is why the saying goes: “AI won’t replace doctors. But it will replace bad ones.” It will single out the dependent ones and only enhance those who supplement it with years of hard work and raw interaction with patients.

As medical students in this era of technology, we need to take this as a challenge and an opportunity. The future of medicine will be shaped by doctors who know how to think critically, stay updated, and use technology wisely. But even more importantly, it will belong to those who know how to listen, care, and lead. We should aim to be the kind of doctors who use AI to become better, not the kind that fear being replaced by it.

The future of medicine isn’t doctors versus AI. It’s doctors working with AI. The best care will come from combining the accuracy and speed of machines with the compassion and insight of humans.

So don’t be afraid of AI. Be afraid of becoming the kind of doctor who can be replaced by it. Let AI raise the standard, and let us rise above it.

Robert Sithole, Medical School Hero

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