B - Digital Professionalism, Artificial Intelligence and You

Many individuals who follow contemporary research and development in artificial intelligence applications are predicting that these applications will enable, over the next few decades, the greatest cultural and socioeconomic upheavals in the history of humankind. While some commentators are deeply anxious over these projections, others are markedly optimistic and claim that artificial intelligence may bring about unprecedented improvements in standards of living throughout the world. One thing is certain, however: the nature and delivery of health care in industrially advanced countries will be exquisitely affected, largely owing to the myriad of technologies that have developed over the last thirty years and which will be vastly improved (and likely replaced) by new developments in AI. This presentation will examine some of these prognostications. Beginning with a brief overview of professional identity formation since the advent of managed care, this presentation will segue into some introductory comments on the aspirations and projected applications of artificial intelligence technologies in health care. It will conclude with six scenarios resulting from AI implementation that will challenge health care delivery, professional identity formation, and the training of future clinicians.