New Delhi, Aug 13
Amid increasing adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in medicine, a new study published in The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology journal, showed that doctors regularly performing AI-assisted colonoscopies may lose their ability to detect precancerous growths (adenomas) in the colon without AI assistance.
Colonoscopy, typically performed by an endoscopist, enables the detection and removal of adenomas, leading to the prevention of bowel cancer.
Numerous trials have shown that the use of AI to assist colonoscopies increases the detection of adenomas, generating much enthusiasm for the technology.
However, there is a lack of research into how continuous use of AI affects endoscopist skills, with suggestions that it could be either positive, by training clinicians, or negative, leading to a reduction in skills.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to suggest a negative impact of regular AI use on healthcare professionals' ability to complete a patient-relevant task in medicine of any kind. Our results are concerning, given that the adoption of AI in medicine is rapidly spreading,” said Dr Marcin Romańczyk, Academy of Silesia from Poland.
The study took place at four colonoscopy centres in Poland between September 2021 and March 2022.