Doctor Says AI Improves Care in 2026 but Weakens Medical Students' Learning
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 25
Doctor Says AI Improves Care in 2026 but Weakens Medical Students' Learning
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 25
Summary
A primary-care doctor says AI already makes him a better clinician, helping with antibiotic choices, unusual bloodwork, dizziness cases and treatment questions in daily practice.
OpenEvidence — a tool limited to health care providers — fills gaps in an ever-expanding body of medical facts, while the doctor says core skills like history-taking, reasoning and communication still remain human work.
Students and residents use the same system, but the doctor worries early reliance is leaving trainees with less memorized knowledge and a more passive relationship with clinical decision-making.
The essay argues medicine should not try to wall itself off from AI; instead, training in 2026 must teach future physicians to think critically with a machine in the loop.