How Doctors Use AI: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Artificial Intelligence in Clinical Practice

AI in Radiology: Reading Scans Faster and More Accurately

When you have an X-ray, CT scan, or MRI, an AI doctor may already be involved in reviewing your images — even if you don't know it.

Radiology is by far the most active area of AI adoption in medicine. As of late 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized over 1,039 AI-enabled radiology devices — representing 77% of all FDA-cleared AI medical tools.1 These tools are designed to flag potential abnormalities in images such as lung nodules, brain bleeds, or suspicious mammography findings, which are then reviewed and confirmed by a board-certified radiologist.

The key word here is "assist." AI systems in radiology are not making final decisions on their own. Instead, they act as a second set of eyes — alerting the radiologist to areas that may warrant a closer look. Research suggests this human-AI collaboration can reduce error rates significantly. For example, one study found that combining AI with pathologist review of breast cancer sentinel lymph node biopsies decreased human error rates by nearly 85%.2

Doctors using AI in radiology report faster turnaround times on scans, which may be especially important in time-sensitive situations like suspected strokes or pulmonary embolisms.

AI in Pathology: Analyzing Tissue Samples

When a biopsy is taken — for example, to investigate whether a lump is cancerous — the tissue sample is sent to a pathologist, a physician who specializes in examining cells under a microscope. AI is now beginning to support this work too.

Digital pathology platforms allow pathologists to view tissue slides on screen rather than through a traditional microscope. AI algorithms can then analyze these digital images, flagging areas of concern or helping grade tumors based on their cellular appearance.

A systematic review published in npj Digital Medicine found that AI-based approaches achieved diagnostic accuracy comparable to expert pathologists across multiple cancer types, including breast, colorectal, and skin cancers.2 In some cases, AI outperformed individual experts when used independently, but performed best when doctors and AI worked together.

Faster, more accurate pathology analysis can have a direct impact on patients. Quicker biopsy turnaround times reduce the stressful waiting period after a tissue sample is taken, and AI assistance may help ensure cancer is graded consistently — reducing the variation that can occur between different pathologists reviewing the same sample.

AI for Clinical Decision Support

Beyond imaging, AI tools for doctors are being used to support clinical decision-making in real time — inside hospital wards and outpatient clinics alike.

Clinical decision support systems powered by AI can check for dangerous drug interactions when a new medication is prescribed, suggest diagnoses based on a combination of symptoms, lab values, and medical history, and alert care teams when a patient's condition may be deteriorating.

One of the most studied applications is sepsis early warning. Sepsis is a life-threatening response to infection that can be difficult to detect before it becomes critical. AI systems analyzing continuous streams of electronic health record data have shown promise in identifying at-risk patients hours before traditional clinical signs appear. A review of the TREWS (Targeted Real-time Early Warning System) found it reduced the median time to first antibiotic treatment by 1.85 hours — a meaningful advantage given that speed is critical in sepsis outcomes.3

It is worth noting that clinical decision support AI is designed to inform, not replace, physician judgment. Doctors review every AI-generated alert and make the final call about how to respond.

AI in Administrative Tasks

One of the least visible but most impactful ways how physicians use AI is in reducing administrative burden. Physicians in the United States spend roughly half their workday on documentation and other administrative tasks — a major driver of burnout.

AI medical scribes, sometimes called ambient documentation tools, listen to the conversation between doctor and patient (with the patient's consent) and automatically generate clinical notes. A 2025 Yale study found that using an AI scribe reduced the odds of physician burnout by 74% among ambulatory clinic physicians surveyed before and 30 days after adopting the tool.4 The University of Wisconsin Health system reported that ambient AI scribes reduced documentation time by 30 minutes per day per provider.4

Beyond note-taking, AI is also being used to streamline prior authorization — the process by which insurance companies approve treatments before they occur — and to optimize appointment scheduling. These back-office applications of AI in clinical practice may not affect how your visit feels, but they can free up meaningful time for your doctor to spend with you.

It is important to know that AI-generated notes occasionally contain inaccuracies, most commonly omissions or minor errors, so physicians review and edit them before finalizing.4

What Your Doctor Sees vs What You See

There is an important distinction between the AI your doctor uses and the AI you may encounter as a patient.

Clinical AI — the kind discussed throughout this article — operates within hospital systems and electronic health records. It is regulated, validated on clinical data, and integrated into a physician's workflow. You may never know it is being used unless you ask.

Consumer-facing AI tools — symptom checkers, patient portal chatbots, and general-purpose health assistants — are a different category. They are often designed for informational guidance and may not have access to your full medical record or the validation studies that clinical tools undergo. Reviewing AI diagnosis accuracy by specialty can help you understand where each type of tool tends to perform well and where limitations apply.

Neither type replaces the full clinical picture your physician builds from your history, a physical examination, lab results, and imaging. What clinical AI does is help process information faster and flag patterns that might otherwise be missed.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor About AI

Being an informed patient includes understanding how technology is used in your care. Here are some practical questions you may want to discuss with your doctor:

Is AI being used to review my scans or test results? Many radiology practices now use AI-assisted reading tools. Your radiologist or ordering physician can tell you if such tools are part of their workflow.

How does AI affect my diagnosis or care plan? Understanding whether an AI system flagged something — or helped rule something out — can be useful context, especially if you are seeking a second opinion.

Is my data used to train AI systems? Hospitals and health systems increasingly participate in AI research, which may involve using de-identified patient data. Asking about your institution's data policies is a reasonable step.

Are AI-generated notes part of my medical record? If your provider uses an AI scribe, you generally have the right to review your clinical notes through your patient portal under the 21st Century Cures Act.

What oversight exists for the AI tools used here? FDA-cleared AI devices undergo pre-market review. Asking whether tools in use are cleared can help you understand the level of regulatory scrutiny applied.

When to See a Doctor

AI tools in clinical settings are designed to support — not replace — a visit with a qualified provider. You should seek in-person medical care if:

• You experience symptoms that are new, unexplained, or worsening

• You have a chronic condition that needs regular monitoring

• A screening result (such as an imaging report) recommends follow-up

• You receive an AI-generated recommendation from any consumer health tool

AI can help your doctor work more efficiently and catch things that might otherwise be missed. It cannot perform a physical exam, build a relationship with you over time, or weigh the full complexity of your individual situation.

Conclusion

How doctors use AI today spans imaging, pathology, clinical decision support, and administrative efficiency. Most of this technology operates in the background — quietly supporting physician workflows without changing the fundamental nature of a patient-doctor relationship. As a patient, asking informed questions about AI in your care is reasonable and encouraged. The goal of all these tools, at their best, is to give your doctor more time and better information to focus on what matters most: you.

References

1. FDA. Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Medical Devices. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2025. https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/software-medical-device-samd/artificial-intelligence-enabled-medical-devices

2. Echle A, et al. Artificial intelligence in digital pathology: a systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy. npj Digital Medicine. 2024. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-024-01106-8

3. Adams R, et al. Artificial Intelligence for Clinical Decision Support in Sepsis. Frontiers in Medicine (PMC). 2021. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8155362/

4. Goss FR, et al. Use of Ambient AI Scribes to Reduce Administrative Burden and Professional Burnout. JAMA Network Open. 2025. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2839542

5. Rajpurkar P, et al. Revolutionizing healthcare: the role of artificial intelligence in clinical practice. BMC Medical Education. 2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37740191/

6. Beam AL, et al. Artificial intelligence in healthcare: transforming the practice of medicine. Future Healthcare Journal (PMC). 2021. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8285156/

Medical Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment recommendations. The information presented here should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have concerns about your health, please seek immediate medical attention.