Regular use of artificial intelligence in healthcare can potentially "deskill" medical professionals, groundbreaking research suggests. The finding raises concerning questions about the rapid adoption of AI across medical settings.
The study examined endoscopists who perform colonoscopies to detect precancerous growths called adenomas in the bowel. These procedures are crucial for preventing bowel cancer, as detecting and removing adenomas stops them developing into cancer.
First evidence of AI deskilling
Researchers analysed 1,442 colonoscopies conducted by experienced health workers before and after AI systems were introduced at healthcare centres in Poland in 2021. The study found polyp detection rates dropped by 6% following AI implementation, affecting both standard procedures and those directly assisted by AI technology.
Dr Marcin Romanczyk from the Academy of Silesia in Poland said: "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 the adoption of AI in medicine is rapidly spreading. We urgently need more research into the impact of AI on health professional's skills across different medical fields. We need to find out which factors may cause or contribute to problems when healthcare professionals and AI systems don't work well together, and to develop ways to fix or improve these interactions."
Writing in the Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the research team represents the first documented evidence of AI-induced professional deskilling in healthcare. The decline in detection abilities occurred even when AI was not directly assisting procedures, suggesting broader skill degradation among medical professionals.
Expert warnings on AI adoption
Omer Ahmad, a consultant gastroenterologist and interventional endoscopist and clinical research fellow at University College London, said: "These findings temper the current enthusiasm for rapid adoption of AI-based technologies such as CADe and highlight the importance of carefully considering possible unintended clinical consequences. The study provides the first real-world clinical evidence for the phenomenon of deskilling, potentially affecting patient-related outcomes."
Computer-assisted polyp detection systems had previously been found to help health workers spot more adenomas during procedures. However, this research provides the first real-world evidence of a "deskilling" phenomenon previously only theoretical in healthcare AI discussions.
The research highlights growing tension between enthusiasm for AI adoption and potential unintended consequences for patient care. The study represents groundbreaking evidence of AI potentially harming rather than helping healthcare worker performance.
Sources used: "PA Media", "Independent", "Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
