103 “Microsoft has already embedded AI capabilities across its product portfolio and built assistants to fulfil basic administrative tasks, analyse data and much more,” he says. “We’re making progress with agentic AI workflows that allow humans empowered with agents to collaborate synchronously and asynchronously. Rhew cites a multidisciplinary tumour board as an ideal example for showcasing the benefits of human-led, AI agent-operated teams. “Today, a multidisciplinary team of medical experts must collate lots of data, evaluate it to create possible treatment plans, present them to the patient and choose the best route forward together,” says Rhew. “It’s a time-consuming process, but we could cut it significantly by using AI agents to gather and summarise the information. The board can then use its expertise to analyse the findings and make a final decision. Agents could continue working alongside humans throughout the treatment process, taking care of administrative tasks such as booking appointments. Meanwhile, the medical professionals focus on the complex, higher-value tasks that require a nuanced, human approach.” Demand for human expertise in the healthcare sector will increase in the coming years, predicts Rhew. “Humans will always be a vital part of any healthcare system,” he says. “Ultimately, we want to develop patient-centric healthcare systems that operate efficiently. AI agents can support medical professionals by tackling time-consuming tasks required to achieve this goal, but AI agents can’t do it alone. We still need humans to make decisions because they have real-world expertise and experience, as well as the ability to think critically, understand nuances in data and deliver services with empathy.” While Rhew acknowledges that AI is yet to reach full maturity, he argues it has a vital role to play in healthcare, both today and in the future. “We often set a very high bar when it comes to trusting new technologies – we want to be certain that new technologies work perfectly or near perfectly every time before we implement them,” says Rhew. “However, healthcare is imperfect and unevenly distributed. To understand the impact AI can have on healthcare today, we need to take a closer look at our baseline. How many people do not have access to care or even the medical information required to determine whether to seek help? How many experience unwarranted variations in care? For these individuals, AI can make an immediate and positive difference in their health. If our goal in healthcare is ‘do no harm,’ then we may find that in some cases not using AI may cause more harm than using imperfect AI. And the good news is that AI will only continue to get better.” AI and other technologies are enabling clinicians to provide virtual healthcare to patients who may be able to easily manage their symptoms themselves from home PUBLIC SECTOR Phoho: iStock/svetikd
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