Although the field of artificial intelligence (AI) has been around for over 50 years, it wasn’t until late 2022—with the release of ChatGPT’s artificial intelligence chatbot—that AI entered the average person’s consciousness. Whether we know it or not, AI is all around us: the text autofill when typing an email, the show recommendations on Netflix, product recommendations on Amazon, and those cute meal delivery robots you’ll find on some college campuses. AI has and will significantly impact every aspect of our lives. And healthcare is no exception.
AI and Medicine
AI is infiltrating multiple facets of healthcare, and many clinicians are jumping on board. A recent AMA survey indicated a nearly 80% increase in the use of health AI by physicians over the past year. The most promising AI tools aim to alleviate clinicians' administrative burdens and support clinical documentation. According to a 2025 NEMJ Catalyst survey, about 20% of US clinicians are using generative AI for clinical documentation. Other applications of AI include support for prior authorization documentation, patient portal messages, and patient education materials. Healthcare organizations are also exploring AI decision-making tools to aid in risk prediction, as well as applications in medical imaging, EKG interpretation, and disease screening, like retinopathy.
Things are evolving and changing quickly. As a clinician, it’s hard enough to keep up with the latest treatment guidelines and literature, let alone the latest technological advancements. And while AI has the promise of improving clinical outcomes and offloading burdensome tasks, many clinicians remain understandably cautious. What are the medicolegal implications, especially around patient privacy and data security? What about when AI gets it wrong? How might AI tools perpetuate bias and contribute to health disparities?
Introducing Practicing with AI
Enter Practicing with AI—Hippo Education’s podcast about medicine, AI, and the people navigating both. This show is for anyone curious (or cautiously curious) about AI and medicine. Each month, Vicky Pittman, VP of Education and practicing EM/UC PA, and Rob Taves, VP of Technology, will talk about where AI is showing up in healthcare—and explore all of the curiosities, concerns, and excitement that clinicians may have.
🎧 Listen now on Apple or Spotify.
We would love to hear from you! Visit speakpipe.com/hippoed to leave a voice message about anything related to AI and medicine: your excitement, your concerns, your own experiences with AI… anything. Your voice might even make it onto a future episode.
