AI and Medical Imaging: Job Displacement or Enhancement?

There is no doubt that Artificial Intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm whether it be many high schoolers beginning to use ChatGPT or Snapchat AI on their assignments, or the very helpful Google’s predictive search algorithm. The point is that as of 2024, AI is inescapable, and has become something that must be come to terms with. One space where AI has a niche role is in healthcare. While it might seem a bit like science fiction, imagine a future where, instead of a friendly nurse taking your vitals, it’s a cheerful robot rolling up to check your blood pressure and temperature. Just think, no more cold stethoscopes or awkward small talk, just a quick, efficient checkup from your new metallic medical pal. Plus, robots don’t mind working the night shift! All jokes aside, AI potentially has the greatest role in medical imaging. Countless research papers and studies have shown that AI can function as an MRI. An Oxford study (Zhang ’22) shows that a technology called the “virtual native enhancement” (or VNE) was able to detect scars in the cardiac muscle in patients who were suffering from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Additionally, the VNE was able to detect scars in those who recently suffered a heart attack. The VNE was able to replace the role of an IV(intravenous) contrast for medical imaging. This jarring news leads to the question: in future years could AI entirely replace medical imaging technologists? I do not believe so. Instead of replacing a medical imaging technologist such as a radiologist, I believe it will change the skillset required of one. Radiology and other medical imaging fields will require proficiency in AI use. Radiology is evolving from the days of sitting in a dark room, cloaked in a heavy lead apron, poring over patient scans. Now, it’s all about harnessing cutting-edge medical technology, diagnosing with the precision of AI, and stepping into the light to explain results directly to patients. Bid your goodbyes to dark rooms, and embrace the new age of healthcare. Radiologists will have to focus on improving medical imaging technologies and heavily focus on patient care and interaction. Radiologists have one unbeatable edge over AI: the ability to communicate effectively and truly understand human emotions. While AI might spot a shadow on a scan, only a radiologist can deliver the news with a reassuring smile and a kind word. After all, machines can crunch numbers, but only humans can hold a hand.