AI Believed Incapable of Replacing Doctors, Here's Why

Artificial intelligence (AI) will never be able to replace the role of doctors, according to a medical expert. Dr Ray Wagiu Basrowi, a physician and founder of the Health Collaborative Center (HCC), stated that while AI technology continues to advance, it cannot substitute for a clinician’s diagnostic process.

Dr Ray explained that AI is a machine that operates based on algorithms and depends entirely on the prompts entered by users. Consequently, its diagnosis is not valid because it lacks the ability to conduct thorough physical examinations. Unlike AI, a doctor performs in-depth explorations of a patient’s condition. For instance, when a patient complains of a cough or shortness of breath, a doctor will investigate various other factors that might be related to the condition.

‘AI will never be able to replace the role of health workers, especially the role of doctors in diagnosing,’ Dr Ray said in Jakarta on Thursday. He noted that AI systems tend to focus solely on the specific complaint entered by the user, which can lead to inaccurate conclusions about a particular condition.

Despite these limitations, Dr Ray acknowledged that AI platforms can be beneficial as a means to improve health literacy, particularly among young people. He suggested that AI can be used as a medium for initial screening or identifying disease risks, serving as a supplementary tool rather than a replacement for professional medical consultation.