Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming healthcare, and more Americans are turning to AI tools for medical guidance.
OpenAI says about 40 million users worldwide now use ChatGPT every day for health-related questions. The company recently launched ChatGPT Health, a feature that allows users to analyze medical test results, prepare for doctor appointments, and seek general guidance.
Rival company Anthropic has also introduced Claude for Healthcare, designed to support clinical workflows and patient education.
Hospitals and healthcare systems are increasingly partnering with major AI companies to improve diagnostics and more. (Joe Skipper/Reuters)
Hospitals and healthcare systems are increasingly partnering with major AI companies to improve diagnostics, streamline operations and expand access to medical information.
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“Over the coming year, we will identify where these tools can add value, carefully evaluate them and work to scale them responsibly,” Offodile said. “Our responsibility is to ensure that these technologies are safe, ethical and truly beneficial to patients.”
He added that the healthcare industry is already moving beyond the pre-ChatGPT era.
“I don’t think we can walk back to a world before generative AI,” Offodile said. “The most important question now is how we can ensure it is used responsibly.”
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City is one of OpenAI’s healthcare partners. (Plexi Images/GHI/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
A recent industry survey found that nearly a third of U.S. healthcare systems are now paying for commercial AI licenses as adoption accelerates.
One area where the technology is already showing promise is skin cancer detection.
In MSK’s Dermatology Lab, researchers are testing AI tools that analyze medical images and patient data to identify suspicious lesions and flag individuals at high risk.
“I think AI will be a game changer for skin cancer detection in particular,” says Dr. Veronica Rotemberg, director of the dermatology informatics program at MSK. “The most important thing right now is testing these technologies in real clinical settings so we can understand how impactful they really are.”
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One of the instruments being evaluated is a 360-degree whole-body photography system that uses 92 cameras to capture detailed images of a patient’s skin. The goal is to use AI to automatically detect new or changing lesions over time, a process currently done manually by doctors.
Another technology, reflection confocal microscopy, allows doctors to see beneath the skin’s surface. The light-powered microscope can detect melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, with an accuracy of about 80%. About 112,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma every year, according to the American Cancer Society.
OpenAI says about 40 million users worldwide now use ChatGPT every day for health-related questions. (Idrees Abbas/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“As dermatologists, our goal is to find all skin cancers while minimizing unnecessary biopsies,” Rotemberg said. “That’s a delicate balance. These tools help improve what we call specificity, identifying cancer more accurately and avoiding procedures that patients don’t need.”
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Doctors are also testing an AI-powered dermatoscope that can be connected to a smartphone camera, allowing rapid assessments and expanding screening both in clinical settings and remotely.
Still, experts emphasize that these tools are designed to support—not replace—physicians.
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“These technologies still require clinical judgment,” Rotemberg said. “They are not a substitute for trained medical professionals.”
Doctors also warn that consumer AI health apps can be inconsistent and should never replace professional medical evaluation.
As AI continues to expand in healthcare, doctors say maintaining the doctor-patient relationship remains essential.
