Doctor: AI Makes Me Better, but There's a Catch

A New York geriatrician makes the case that artificial intelligence is turning her into a better doctor—and simultaneously dulling the skills of the people who will replace her. In a New York Times opinion piece, Dr. Rachael Bedard describes how she now leans on an AI tool called OpenEvidence to help pick antibiotics, interpret odd lab results, and spot diagnoses she might have missed. Trained on medical research and guidelines, the app lets her upload labs and imaging, then walks through possibilities with her, offering sources she can vet. She argues it has expanded her thinking and improved care.

But Bedard sees a very different effect on medical trainees, who have far less knowledge to "test" the machine against. Quoting Harvard's Dr. Adam Rodman, she worries that instead of mild "de-skilling" in seasoned doctors, AI could lead to "never-skilling" in residents who offload too much thinking too soon. She calls for structured "AI-free" reasoning practice and literacy training so future doctors can use these tools without losing core judgment. Read the full essay.