Healthcare AI newswatch: Consumer mistrust, humanoid robots, vendor wars, more
Buzzworthy developments of the past few days.
- Healthcare consumers are wary of healthcare systems packing AI. More to the point, they worry provider orgs will deploy the technology irresponsibly, using it to favor institutional gains over patient considerations. But is it a good thing if the mistrust comes more from misgivings over modern healthcare itself than from concerns over AI per se? Regardless, the two researchers behind the survey finding prescribe an all-encompassing remedy. “Low trust in healthcare systems to use AI indicates a need for improved communication and investments in organizational trustworthiness,” write Paige Nong of the University of Minnesota and Jodyn Platt of the University of Michigan. JAMA Network Open published their report Feb. 14. The journal simultaneously posted invited commentary on the survey. Here Jessica Ancker of Vanderbilt wonders if trust in all AI—including in healthcare—will rise along with the public’s firsthand AI experiences over the next few years. If public attitudes do indeed become more accepting of AI in general, Ancker hypothesizes, patients may well embrace its healthcare-specific applications. On the other hand, she adds, “the findings of the study by Nong [and Platt] suggest a troubling alternative: The fact that AI seems novel and hazardous could further erode public trust in healthcare.” Worthy food for serious thought. Survey report here, commentary here.
- Meta is going for it with AI-powered humanoid robots. The Facebook parent will face stiff competition from the likes of Figure AI and Tesla. As the market shakes out, healthcare will surely emerge as an important space in which to station mechanical persons that—or is it who?—can help with physical tasks. Breaking the news on Meta’s plans Feb. 14, Bloomberg reported from Meta internal communications that the company will likely first aim at building droids to perform simple household tasks. Then it may focus on creating software and sensors sellable to other robot manufacturers. Mulling the scenario in healthcare, Forbes contributor Sai Balasubramanian, MD, JD, foresees humanoid robots helping workers with repeatable tasks, in the process easing the labor shortage. “Overall, this technology may one day become as ubiquitous as phones have become in the medical field,” he writes. If that sounds far-fetched, note well that smartphones “are now the primary sources of searchable information that were only acquirable through books and database searches just 20 years ago.”
- Employers and their benefits managers can do a few things to tap AI for workforce health. A few suggestions: Use machine learning to identify employee health risks, leverage AI to help employees manage long-term health issues and let AI help build a culture of health by improving health literacy. These pointers are from the big British-American consultancy Willis Towers Watson, aka WTW, which posted an article on the topic Feb. 13. “For employers, integrating AI into health benefits strategies can significantly improve the employee experience by offering tailored, empathetic support,” the authors write. “AI-powered digital platforms provide predictive health insights and personalized care pathways, ensuring employees feel understood and supported. This not only fosters engagement but also improves health outcomes over time.”
- Generative AI is going to spur a marketing brawl among EHR suppliers. So predicts Yasir Tarabichi, MD, chief health AI officer at MetroHealth, the Cleveland-based public health system. “[I]f you can install agentic AI into a patient portal, [you can] create an arms race with EHR vendors trying to make for a better experience,” he says in an interview with Healthcare Innovation. “I’m looking forward to that and to patients being more empowered.”
- Why does Sara Murray, MD, love AI scribes for patients? Well, for one thing, the chief AI officer at UCSF Health in San Francisco appreciates the technology’s prowess for helping draft detailed instructions for patients to take with them. “We’ve heard from patients who feel more connected to their doctor,” she says in a brief conversation with UCSF News, adding that the bond is strengthened by the physician’s not having to listen and type at the same time. “Importantly, these tools are assistants and not replacements for your doctor.”
- The world’s consumption of electricity is about to grow by 4% a year. New and expanded data centers supporting AI won’t be the only contributors, but they will be a factor. In a new report, the Paris-based International Energy Agency points out the overall global spike will be greater than Japan’s annual electricity consumption every year through 2027. “In the United States, a strong increase in electricity demand is expected to add the equivalent of California’s current power consumption to the national total over the next three years,” the IEA forecasts. “Electricity demand growth is forecast to be more modest in the European Union, only rising back to its 2021 levels by 2027, following the major declines in 2022 and 2023 triggered by the energy crisis.”
- A tech investor sizing up healthcare AI startups is like a battleship captain trying to maneuver through a lake. How so? I’m not sure, but I assume the author of the word picture had in mind a relatively small lake, not one of the Greats. Anyway, the speaker is Nader Naini, a managing partner at the private-equity firm Frazier Healthcare Partners. “AI is a transformative enabler for the healthcare industry,” Naini tells GeekWire. “However, I wouldn’t go as far as saying it’s going to transform the whole industry. It’s going to be very specific areas in which it can be useful.”
- Recent research in the news:
- University of Michigan: Adults don’t trust health care to use AI responsibly and without harm
- Mass General Brigham: AI screening for heart failure clinical trial speeds up enrollment, study finds
- University of Navarra (Spain): Researchers develop an AI model to ensure unbiased decisions in health, education and recruitment
- University of Michigan: Adults don’t trust health care to use AI responsibly and without harm
- Notable FDA approval activity:
- Funding news of note:
- From AIin.Healthcare’s news partners:
- Health Imaging: FDA clears AI software capable of reducing MRI acquisition times by up to 80%
- Cardiovascular Business: Mayo Clinic AI helps guide treatment of AFib patients
- Health Imaging: Deep learning reconstruction cuts breast MRI scan times in half
- Health Imaging: FDA clears AI software capable of reducing MRI acquisition times by up to 80%
Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.