Over my 30-plus years as a physician, I\u2019ve witnessed remarkable advancements in medicine. I\u2019ve seen open-heart valve replacements become minimally invasive procedures and piles of paper charts scribbled with bad handwriting become perfectly legible electronic medical records.<\/p>\n
However, the explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) into health care might be the most disruptive advancement in medicine I\u2019ve ever experienced\u2014and it\u2019s only just beginning. Hospital-issued AI now listens to my long, complicated conversation with a patient and produces a perfect summary within seconds. Finding the latest data to choose a personalized antibiotic regimen that once required extensive research and phone calls now takes a few seconds with AI.<\/p>\n
Chances are, by the time this article is out, AI will be changing the practice of medicine in even newer ways.<\/p>\n
Such a profound and rapid disruption of medicine has implications for Christians who work in or interact with health care (that\u2019s just about everyone). How should Christians think about AI in medicine? Should we label it as dark magic and reject it, or embrace it and go with the flow?<\/p>\n
While there are no simple answers, the time for Christians in medicine to thoughtfully examine this phenomenon theologically is now. We ought to start by remembering with confidence that our sovereign triune God is still on the throne. All wisdom to use this technology must be found in the theological principles that flow out of the pages of his living Word. Here are a few ways I\u2019ve been praying and reflecting on how we ought to respond to this phenomenon.<\/p>\n
We Can\u2019t and Shouldn\u2019t Avoid It<\/p>\n
Since ChatGPT introduced its first AI model in 2022<\/a>, the integration of AI into health care has been rapid and all-encompassing. At my medical practice in San Francisco, for example, AI is already built into my electronic medical record system, and its applications are only growing. For those who will practice medicine in the United States in the future, I\u2019m certain AI will be part of your practice.<\/p>\n AI has undeniably made medical care faster and more efficient. Medical documentations by physicians that used to take hours can now be done in a couple of minutes with AI tools. AI-driven robotic surgeries are increasingly demonstrating highly effective and superior results compared to traditional surgeries<\/a>. One of my colleagues, who left his primary-care practice over a decade ago because of the overwhelming clerical burdens, said to me, \u201cIf I had the AI tools that I have now, I would have never left.\u201d<\/p>\n Furthermore, from a Christian perspective, even if we could avoid AI as we work in health care, I don\u2019t see any clear theological reason to do so\u2014at least not yet. Our God is sovereign, and in his providence, he has allowed this technology to develop in history as a part of his common grace. If we receive this tool with a heart of gratitude, as James 1:17 exhorts, and use it to serve our patients better, why would this be a bad thing?<\/p>\n Our God is sovereign, and in his providence, he has allowed this technology to develop in history as a part of his common grace.<\/p>\n After all, which would you rather have\u2014a human surgeon or an AI robot that can perform a faster and more precise surgery? Which is better\u2014waiting days for a human doctor to approve a medication refill, or a refill completed within a few seconds by an AI pharmacy? Of course, as with any other technology, the risk of inappropriate use of AI will be a perpetual concern. But as a full-time medical practitioner, I see tremendous potential for AI to radically improve health care, as part of God\u2019s common grace.<\/p>\n Healing Requires Human Relationships<\/p>\n However, health care is more than simply prescribing the right medicine or performing the correct surgeries. At an ontological level, the medical profession has always assumed a provider-patient relationship. Perhaps the necessity of trusting human relationships underpins most professions to some extent, but it\u2019s especially true in health care, where patients, in their most vulnerable moments, place their well-being in the hands of fellow human beings.<\/p>\n I can tell you firsthand that the old verbiage that medicine is \u201cmore of an art than a science\u201d is true in real life. The trust between the provider and the patient recovering from serious illness is a vital part of the healing process. One review article in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet\u00a0called<\/a> the provider-patient relationship \u201cthe centre of the ecosystem\u201d and stated that \u201cthe quality of that relationship is a central element of the clinical encounter and an independent driver of the quality of care.\u201d<\/p>\n Think of all the times when Jesus healed the sick. Although there\u2019s an obvious fundamental difference between how Jesus healed through miracles and how modern medicine heals through science, the Great Physician\u2019s general posture toward healing is worth pondering.<\/p>\n Jesus\u2019s healings almost always involved him personally relating to the sick, and often he touched them, going against the norms of the day. His physical presence with them was as meaningful as the healings themselves. He often exemplified that healing is more than just getting rid of the disease, but is holistic for the entire person. The more serious the illness, the more human presence is required to help patients walk through the darkest moments and also genuinely rejoice in the happy moments of recovery.<\/p>\n