Can AI outperform doctors? Experts weigh the pros and cons

ai is already taking notes in doctors' offices, booking appointments, and analyzing medical images. but alex zhavoronkov, ceo of insilico medicine, thinks consumers should use it way more. speaking at cnbc's converge live in singapore on wednesday, he said many consumer ai models are "close to some of the doctors and sometimes better." he suggested using an "ai physician" for basic questions like what to eat or whether to diet, to save time with real doctors. openai launched chatgpt health in january, letting people connect medical records and wellness apps — though it's not intended for diagnosis. amazon rolled out healthai for one medical members the same month, giving advice based on records, lab results, and medications. shreehas tambe, ceo of biocon, was cautiously optimistic, warning that putting evolved tech in inexperienced hands "could lead to more erroneous results." ai is also cutting drug research time. zhavoronkov said getting to the developmental candidate stage now takes 18 months, versus over four years traditionally. in march, eli lilly signed a $2.75 billion deal with insilico to bring ai-developed drugs to market. tambe stressed the need for "the human in the loop" to validate those models.