AI Can Safely Enhance Medical Care When Used Appropriately by Patients
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/by/adam-rodman. "Opinion | A Doctor’s Guide to Using A.I. for Better Health - The New York Times." February 17, 2026. www.nytimes.com
The Gist
A doctor argues that AI chatbots can be helpful for patients getting medical advice, as long as they use them to prepare for doctor visits and get second opinions rather than replacing actual medical care. He says both patients and doctors should be honest about using AI since it's already happening anyway.
Conclusion
Large language models are valuable tools for empowering patients in healthcare when used appropriately to enhance rather than replace professional medical care
Premises
- Over a third of Americans already use large language models for health advice, making this a widespread reality
- AI can help patients better prepare for medical appointments by summarizing medical notes and generating relevant questions
- AI tools can provide expert-level medical advice when given complete health information
- AI can serve as a valuable second opinion tool to help identify diagnostic errors, which cause 800,000 deaths annually
- Both patients and doctors are already using AI routinely in medical contexts, with 66% of physicians reporting AI use
- Transparency about AI use between patients and doctors strengthens trust and leads to better care
Assumptions
- Patients can learn to use AI tools responsibly with proper guidance
- The benefits of AI in healthcare outweigh the risks when used appropriately
- Current AI models are sufficiently accurate for the recommended uses
- Doctor-patient relationships can accommodate AI as a supplementary tool
- Patients will follow guidelines about when to seek direct medical care versus using AI