Swept by an inevitable fate in the infinite sea of Digital Healthcare: AI and the Doctor’s role in the Future of Diagnostics

In recent years, artificial intelligence (#AI) has made significant strides in the field of medical diagnostics, dragging the entire healthcare ecosystem into a veritable “sea” of digital innovations. Much like Gennarino and the “industrial lady” in Lina Wertmüller’s film “Swept Away by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August,” initially antagonistic and distant, doctors and AI seem destined for a similar transformation. While today many see AI as a threat to the traditional role of the doctor, fate may soon convert it into an irreplaceable “companion,” enhancing clinical work through an inevitable synergy.

One of AI’s main strengths lies in its ability to analyze enormous amounts of data in real time, identifying patterns and anomalies that might escape even the most expert eyes, such as signs and symptoms of rare diseases that a general practitioner might encounter only once in their career. But as we immerse ourselves in this sea of possibilities, it is important not to be frightened. If we look at today’s medicine, we see that technologies are already an integral part of the doctors’ decision-making process. How could they diagnose many diseases without the aid of imaging diagnostics? Tools like CT scans, PET scans, and MRIs are now daily clinical realities, although when they were introduced, they probably raised more than a few eyebrows among traditionalists. Today, they are indispensable tools that enrich and enhance human diagnostic capabilities.

On the other hand, there are aspects that (at least for now) are in no way manageable by machines, such as the doctor-patient relationship, crucial for the quality of care. The ability of the doctor to listen to and understand the patient’s concerns greatly influences clinical decisions. For this reason too, #AI should not be seen as a substitute but as an ally: a powerful tool that can integrate and enhance human capabilities.

In the not too distant future, we might see an ever-deeper integration between AI and healthcare professionals. Will we then face a new figure of the "hybrid doctor"? No, we will have a professional who combines human intuition with the analytical power of AI, just as today they use technology for most of their diagnoses. Algorithms could provide data-based recommendations, allowing doctors to make more informed and personalized decisions. This model will become the norm in diagnostics, blending the best of both worlds, and it is already partly so.

Ultimately, technology has been an integral part of medical activity for decades. Artificial intelligence promises to enhance many aspects of medicine, with the difference of being able to hypothesize diagnoses instead of just providing data, but its true value will be integrating effectively into the human decision-making process, aiding and not replacing. The doctor of the future (not even too distant) will be the same as the current one, combining human skills and technology, much like it already happens. And as we move towards this infinite digital sea, perhaps it is worth pausing for a moment to reflect on the new routes we want to explore, continuing to value what is unique and irreplaceable that every doctor brings with him, without limiting us by fear of what could be.

Wertmüller, Lina. Swept Away by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August. 1974.

The opinions expressed in this document are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect those of the company I work for.